


A Sister Like No Other

by AmericanNidiot



Category: One Piece
Genre: Ace Lives, Ace/OC - Freeform, Action/Adventure, Alive Portgas D. Ace, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Fluff, Female Protagonist, Fluff, Het, Humor, Law/OC - Freeform, Major Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, POV First Person, POV Third Person, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Portgas D. Ace Lives, Portgas D. Ace/OC - Freeform, Rating May Change, Trafalgar Law/OC, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-08-09 15:20:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7806988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmericanNidiot/pseuds/AmericanNidiot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>… that's what comes to mind when one talks about Monkey D. Rain, the beloved older sister of Monkey D. Luffy and Portgas D. Ace. With a personality that matches the wind, this pirate is bound to cause a hurricane once let loose! Join us on her adventure to rule the skies while her brothers rule the seas! And catch the eye of a certain Surgeon of Death along the way!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Sister, Rain

Ignoring the shocked looks of the Marines and his crew, Luffy stared curiously at Garp, watching as the old man looked ready to mention something else. “Then there’s Rain,” the old man mentioned, continuing to fix the wall that he busted down for his own amusement.

“Wait, Rain’s still alive?!” shouted Luffy, looking surprised about this bit of information that fell into his lap.

“Of course she is! If you’re still kicking, then Rain is, too! After all, she’s the one that got all the brains,  _ on top of _ being a D.! Have a bit more faith in your own sister, Luffy.” Garp honestly couldn’t, for the life of him, figure out how Luffy’s mind worked at times.

“You have a sister?!” shouted Sanji, looking as surprised as the rest, and looking ready to keel over any second.

“Yup. Sure do. Rain’s my big sister!” Luffy beamed, smiling fondly as he remembered his beloved sister. “She easily kicked both mine and Ace’s butt when we were all kids. Rain’s normally the one that busted us out of trouble, and the calmest of us all. Sis gets super scary when mad, though! I remember when she scared Shanks after I ate the Gum Gum fruit, because she was so mad.” The Straw Hats stared in awe at the loving way their captain talked about his sister. “Rain can even kick Grandpa’s butt if she wanted to!”

“Watch your mouth, boy! Or do you want another helping of my Fists of Love?!” shouted Garp, scowling at his grandson. “Otherwise I won’t give you the gift she demanded I give you.”

Luffy sprung towards his grandpa, grabbing the lapel of his coat, and got into his face. “Rain gave you something to give to me?? Where? Gimme, gimme, gimme!”

Garp punched the rubber boy in the face. “Calm down, boy!” rummaging around in the inner pocket of his coat, the Marine Vice-admiral pulled out a wrinkled envelope.

Luffy frowned and snatched the envelope out of Garp’s hand and tried smoothing it out on his chest, a bit displeased with how his grandpa mishandled something so precious. Once happy with his handiwork, Luffy carefully opened the envelope and pulled out a blank scrap of paper. It looked similar to the one Ace gave him back in Alabasta. Next was a letter. Unfolding it, Luffy gazed at the familiar fancy loopy handwriting.

_ “Luffy, I hope you haven’t forgotten me after the few years apart! Well, knowing you, I wouldn’t be all that surprised. Probably have too many exciting adventures or delicious food, that you forgot about me, or never cared to mention me to your crew (just like with Ace, I bet). Bless them for being able to handle you, little brother. You’re such a handful, you know? Haha, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, to be perfectly honest. Oh, and congrats on your bounty! Look at you, a big shot pirate captain now… Can’t say I’m anything but proud. And if Gramps is still there, tell him to go wear a frilly dress and have a rice cracker tea party.” _

Garp cackled when Luffy told him exactly what Rain wanted him to, finding his granddaughter’s resentment of him forcing her to wear dresses as nostalgic.

_ “You’re probably wondering where I am, or what I’m doing seeing as I haven’t made waves since leaving Dawn Island. Don’t frown, cause I know that’s exactly what you’re doing,” _ Luffy pouted instead, realizing his sister was right,  _ “and don’t pout either, you’re not 7 anymore. Always smile, because that’s just the type of people we are in the end. Anyways, for the most part I’m keeping my head down and doing things that could cause trouble for Gramps and the World Government in general, however once the time comes, you can bet that I’ll be out there having my own adventures. When that time comes, I promise we can have a fight to see who is the strongest between us. Until then, keep causing trouble, and keep getting stronger. I look forward to the next time we meet, little brother, and I’m interested in meeting your crew. Until then, may there always be wind in your sails that’ll carry you to your next grand adventure; Monkey D. Rain.” _

Reading, and then rereading, the letter, Luffy tucked the letter safely into his pocket before handing Nami his hat and the small paper scrap. “Nami, can you sew this on my ribbon like you did with Ace’s? Except can you put it on the opposite side?” he asked, looking his Navigator in the eyes.

She gently took the items and nodded, quickly setting to work on sewing the piece of paper on the ribbon. Sanji, on the other hand, still looked ready to have a heart attack over the news that Luffy had an older sister. “Why haven’t we heard anything about you having  an elder sister, Luffy?” questioned Robin. “After all, we know that you have an older brother, so why not mention anything about your sister?”

“Because no one asked, so there wasn’t a point in mentioning Rain,” replied Luffy, calmly watching Nami as the tangerine-haired Navigator skillfully sewn the paper into the inside of his ribbon.

“More like he forgot he had a sister due to all the adventures he has had up ‘til now,” Garp added while picking his nose. “Rain disappeared four years ago, and if she doesn’t wanna be found, then you won’t ever find that girl unless she wants to be found.”

“Sis’ a master of hide-and-seek!” Luffy laughed, placing his hat back onto his head, and beamed his brightest smile at everyone. Robin smiled as well, looking fondly at her captain as he beamed brighter than the sun.

“You must really admire your sister, Captain,” commented the archaeologist.

The rubber boy nodded at the woman, his dark eyes sparkling with admiration at the mention of his sister, just like when he talked about the history of his beloved hat. “Yeah. Rain helped Makino raise me before we were sent to Mt. Corvo to live.” Turning his head, he stared eagerly out the window. “I can’t wait to meet Sis again! Maybe if I annoy her enough, she’ll agree to join my crew! Shishishi~”


	2. Ass out of You and Me

A lone figure lounged in a mangrove tree, dark brown eyes glittering with amusement as she watched the destruction that the three pirate captains caused, taking in the movements of the one wearing a poisonous mushroom-esque winter hat before training on the one with a straw hat. _‘He’s still a rubber brained idiot…’_ she mused, throwing a gummy worm into her mouth as the younger captain ran away, hoping to help his Fishman and mermaid friend.

Standing up, the young woman dusted off her navy blue shorts — glad that the uniform was only temporary — before jumping from branch to branch, easily following the other captains, just as a wide grin split across her face at the feel of the wind caressing her cheeks.

It did not take the young woman that long before she came upon the Kid and Heart Pirates, her eyes focusing on their opponent. “Bartholomew Kuma?” she questioned, only for that idea to be shot down as the thing shot a laser (which looked suspiciously like an attack from Admiral Kizaru) from its mouth at Trafalgar Law. Throwing another gummy worm into her mouth, she sat on the branch and watched them fight the Kuma-look-a-like.

The young woman’s eyes widen, finally noticing former-pirate captain Jean Bart working with the Heart Pirates. It was simply amazing to watch, even after they defeated the fake Kuma. However, shortly after, a group of Marines came charging in.

“A white bear?!” one Marine shouted after the polar bear of the Hearts kicked a man in the face, before slipping into a kung-fu stance. The woman could not take the bear seriously, finding him to be too cute for words. And apparently the Marine officers couldn’t either, as they merely stared at the talking bear, only to get swept away by Jean Bart.

“Hey, you?!” the bear looked offended that the ex-captain stepped into his fight.

The woman chuckled, eyes trailing over to Kid and Law. They seem to be talking about something, however a dark shadow was falling from the sky, only to land in front of the captains. “Well damn. Can’t let the boys have all the fun~” the woman sung, standing up and jumping at the new Kuma-faker. “Now be a good cyborg and… **LEAVE**!” the woman shouted, her shin smashing across the face of the robo-Kuma.

The robot spiraled through the air, easily knocking out the remaining Marines, as she fell down into a squatting position, easily keeping her balance on the balls of her feet. The two captains stared at her back in stunned silence, watching as she started nibbling on another gummy.

She kept her eyes focused on the robot, watching as it sat up, and trained its eyes on her form. In mere seconds, the passive mask she put into place had cracked, showing an excited grin as she stood up to her full height of 5’10” and emptying her treats in one go. “Let’s have some fun, yeah?”

“What are you doing, Marine-ya?” questioned Law, his tattooed fingers gripping the sheath of his beloved Kikoku in preparations for an attack.

“Hmm?” tilting her head back to look over her shoulder, the woman gave the two a lazy grin. “Having fun, of course! Seeing you all fight got me super excited! I just could not sit still any longer~” she pouted, running a slender digit over the long scar that started just above her left eyebrow before extending down, over her eyelid, to just below her cheek bone. Soon her excited smile was back in place. “I can’t let a certain idiot show me up, either. So sit back and enjoy the show~”

Law watched her with cool gray eyes, watching as she pushed off her left foot with enough strength to leave a miniature crater where she formerly stood, sending her straight towards the Shichibukai fraud in mere seconds.

Drawing her right fist back, she jabbed right at the center of the cyborg’s chest, sending it skidding back a few feet as she jumped up, planting both feet in its face, before falling back down to earth.

The Kuma-copy held out a hand, aiming the palm at her falling form, and shot a laser right at her. Twisting away, she sent a jet of air at one of the mangrove trees, using it as a boost to gain distance away from the incoming weapon of light. Landing once more on her feet, the female swayed a bit, looking surprised. “Whoa! If I hadn’t moved, that would’ve been a head shot for sure!” she tipped the brim of the Marine hat back a bit, looking up at the cyborg in front of her. Slowly, she licked her lips, pointing up at the weapon. “Oh, I’m gonna enjoy destroying you, you fake bear-man!” pulling the brim of her cap down to shade her eyes, she slightly bent her legs, drawing her right foot a bit behind her left, as a gentle breeze seemed to circle her. **“Air Hike.”** Soon it became visible to the pirates watching that there was an invisible platform underneath her feet that sent her flying into the air. A few more platforms formed, allowing her to use them to hop and flip higher and higher into the air, soon getting above the tops of the mangrove trees.

**“Double Air Gatling!”** she shouted above the rushing wind, punching wildly in front of her at the cyborg, her arms seeming to multiply as the speed picked up. Even from so far away, the hits seemed to be landing on its upper torso and face, striking it hard in the back of its throat as it opened its maw, readying a laser to shoot. Once close enough, her actual fists started landing solid hits as it followed up the air hits, caving in the cyborg’s shoulder-socket.

Spinning in the air, the female sent her knee into the cyborg’s temple, spinning around as the force sent it straight into the trees. As her feet touch solid ground, she dashed forward, weaving in and out of the shots being sent at her — one of the lasers grazing her left ear — and jumped up as high as possible to wrap her legs around its thick neck. Throwing her weight back, she twisted her whole torso as it started flipping, and pressed her palms flush against its chest. **“Pressure Bazooka…”** she whispered, feeling the body give under her hands as the air ripped right through it.

Unlocking her legs, she stood back up and dusted herself off, looking mighty pleased with her handiwork. The pirates stared, silence dragging on, only to be broken by Eustass Kid’s booming laughter. “That sure was quite a show you put on, Marine.” The woman merely looked over her shoulder at him, blinking a few times before shrugging. “How about you give up being a dog of the Government and join my crew?”

She popped open a new bag of gummies, throwing a handful of the tiny multi-colored bears into her open mouth. “Nope. Sorry, but I promised to be on someone else’s crew,” she said, swallowing her treat.

Law snickered behind Kid’s back, casting the other captain a mocking sympathetic look. “It seems that even a turncoat would rather be on someone else’s crew instead of yours, Eustass-ya…”

The woman threw a gummy bear at Law’s face, causing the sweet to bounce off his nose. “Oi! I resent that ‘turncoat’ comment! You’re assuming that just because of this shitty uniform, that I _must_ be a Marine! You know what they say about assuming; it makes an ass out of you and me.”

Law stared down his nose, his gaze boring into her shadowed one, looking ready to kill her. The woman didn’t seem to care, keeping his gaze as she ate more of her little bears. Suddenly he broke eye contact, finding her to be amusing, and casted her one of his classic smug grins. “You are an interesting one, Marine-ya…”

“If you think I’m interesting, you should see my brothers… Though you have technically met one of them earlier today…” she stated with a half shrug, finishing off another bag of gummies. Turning on her heels, the woman sashayed out of the clearing, throwing a casual wave over her shoulder. “May there always be wind in your sails that’ll carry you to your next grand adventure, Trafalgar Law!” she shouted, still looking forward, before vanishing from sight completely.

“Interesting indeed…” mused the Surgeon of Death, also leaving the clearing with his crew. “Until next we meet, Marine-ya…”

Somewhere in the mangrove forest stood the mysterious Marine, her gaze drifting towards the setting sky. “Yahaha! So _that’s_ the Surgeon of Death! Maa~ he’s a looker, just like Dracule Mihawk!” she laughed, continuing on her journey while eating her precious snacks.


	3. The End of an Era - SAVE ACE!

I stood there, eyes fixated on the chaos around us. It was Hell, pure Hell on earth as Pirates and Marines slaughtered each other; the Marines for their so-called “Justice”, while the pirates fought for one of their own, a brother in all but blood. The very same brother I swore to protect and look after all those years ago, regardless if the blood of the Devil Himself ran through his being. I just could not stand it anymore, watching as the Whitebeard pirates did all they could to save Ace, to save _my_ brother, to see Luffy fighting tooth and nail against Gramps.

It was like a roaring wind drowned out everything besides my own voice. **“** **LUFFY! ACE!!** **”** I screamed, drawing attention from everyone as I ripped off the façade that I have been forcing myself to wear for the last few months. My fist tightened around my bo staff, swinging it with such force that a current of air had been created, and shoved everyone out of my way as I ran, heart racing in my chest as the two slowly turned their heads towards me. **“YOU BASTARDS BETTER NOT DIE BEFORE I DO, YA GOT THAT?!”** I screamed even louder than before, dodging gunshots left and right, before swinging my staff and sending them right back at the Marines that shot at me.

**“STOP THAT GIRL! SHE’S DRAGON’S DAUGHTER!”** screamed Sengoku into his Den Den Mushi, watching as I sent his dogs flying through the sky and over the walls.

Resting my staff against my shoulder, I looked up at the Fleet Admiral and flipped him off while smirking at his steaming face, hearing Gramps laughing all the way down here. “Who gives a shit if Dragon’s my Old Man?! **HE COULD BE MY MOTHER AND NO ONE WOULD CARE!** ” I laughed, sending a gust of wind to fling more Marines away from me. “Guys, it’s time to show these idiots why you just don’t mess with pirates! Let’s go!” at my command, Marines left and right began discarding their uniforms, only to show a single Jolly Roger somewhere on their person. It was the Jolly Roger of the former Spade Pirates, with minor changes, such as the flames taking the form of a D, and the bones looked like a cross instead of an X.

“Gurarara! I like your spunk, Girly!” Whitebeard laughed boisterously, making the land shake with each chuckle, his hand keeping one of his own ships from charging forward. “This is… My final order!! Listen well… Whitebeard Pirates!!”

“Last?! Wait, Pops!! You don’t mean…”

“We don’t want to hear that!!”

“We’re going back to the New World together, right?!”

**“POPS!”** shouted Ace, not looking pleased with the old man’s words.

**“YOU WILL ALL PART WITH ME HERE!! YOU WILL ALL LIVE… AND SAFELY RETURN TO THE NEW WORLD!!”** declared Whitebeard.

“P-Pops?! You plan on dying here?!”

“The times have passed me by!! There’s no ship to take me to this new age!!” he stated, determination burning in his wise eyes. **“GO MEN!!”**

“No, Pops!”

“That’s the Captain’s orders! We have to go!!”

Luffy gaped, his jaw falling open. “Old man!”

“Pops!”

**“It’s been a long journey… Let’s finish it… Marines!”**

After that declaration, members of the the Whitebeard crew and their allies tried arguing with the man, while Marines started shooting at the older pirate captain.

“Commander Rain! What do you want us to do?!” questioned a lanky man with partially transformed arms into that of wings of a crow, hovering over head.

“Niko, deliver my Vivre card to Marco the Phoenix just in case things get bad and we all get separated. After that, gather everyone to the standby ship and have Tora get ready for any of the wounded. Though have any swimmers stay close, just in case a Devil Fruit user falls in, and find Odd! Tell him I want Shikaku **[1]** ready in case I need him for later!” I ordered, using my staff as a baseball bat and slinging it hard into an oncoming Marine’s gut. I sensed it long before I seen it, as a large fist of magma came and crash through pirates and Marines alike. “IRWIN! YOU OKAY?!” I shouted, catching sight of a man in green camo shorts dodging the attack.

“I’m fine, sweetheart, so rest ya pretty li’l head! All this danger is just gettin’ my blood a pumpin’!” he laughed, waving at me. I sighed heavily, glad that he was fine.

“They save Ace and immediately run away? What a bunch of cowards you are, Whitebeard pirates.” I froze for a second, hearing those words slip past Admiral Akainu’s lips, before my eyes cut over to Ace.

“Don’t. You. Fucking. **_Dare_ **.” I seethed through clenched teeth, my dark brown gaze focused on my brother’s still form.

“But he is the captain… I guess there’s no helping it!! After all, Whitebeard… Is a loser from a bygone age!!”

Instead of running away with Luffy, _like he was fucking told_ , Ace turned around and faced the magma-man.

“Haa… Haa… A loser? _Take back… haa… What you just said!!_ ” he demanded, looking ready to kill him even as blood ran down his freckled face, while those around him tried to get him to move. But like a stubborn mule, he stood his ground. **“He’s mocking my old man…”**

“ACE!” shouted Luffy, knowing _exactly_ how Ace is when someone talks bad about his precious people.

Akainu could care less as he continued to prattle on. “Your real father, Roger, stood in his way. And so Whitebeard is a loser who will never become Pirate King. How am I mistaken? You bunch of thugs keep yelling ‘Pops this, Pops that’… You prance about the seas pretending to be a _family_ ,” spat the Admiral, looking down his nose at my brother. “For how many decades has he ruled the seas, never becoming King… And never accomplishing anything!? In the end, he was stabbed by his idiot son who was fooled by some sweet talk!!  And he’s going to die protecting that fool!! He really did live an empty life, didn’t he!?”

“Stop it!”

“Don’t listen to him, Ace! Come on!” shouted Izou the Commander of the 16th Division of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Flames began blooming over Ace’s body, licking the air around him as they danced in his burning anger. “The old man gave us a place where we belonged!! What do you know about his greatness!?”

“If people don’t live the right way, there’s no reason for them to live!! Pirates like you don’t deserve a place to belong!!” Akainu sneered, magma dripping off his skin like sweat. **“Whitebeard will die as a loser!! A fitting death for the Admiral of a mountain of garbage!!”**

My legs just would not move, no matter how much I willed them to do so, watching as Akainu continued to get under Ace’s skin as they fought. _‘Move, dammit, move!’_

“The Pirate King, Gold Roger! The Revolutionary Dragon!! I’m amazed that their children turned out to be siblings!! Great sin already runs through your blood!! No matter who else escapes, I will never let you three escape!!” Akainu redirected his gaze to the collapsed Luffy, who could do nothing but watch. “Take a good look…” the Admiral then lunged for the rubber pirate, his fist turned completely into magma as he aimed to strike my little brother down.

Ace leapt in front of Luffy, his body turning into flames as he kept his back towards Akainu, intending to take the blow. My heart raced as I grabbed two random Marines and ran, my eyes blazing hotly as I glared at the Admiral that **_fucking dared_ ** to harm my little brothers. **_“YOU WILL NOT TOUCH THEM, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!”_ ** I screamed as loud as possible, sending a wave of Haki that proceeded to knock out anyone with a weaker will, while shoving some of those that could withstand it back by a few inches. Focusing my Armament Haki up my arms, I watched as my skin turned black as it then spread to the two dead Marines I held as a shield in front of us.

Akainu’s eyes were wide as his fist came in contact the the corpses, and being stopped by them as my gaze hardened. However, that did not stop drops of magma from flying over my shoulder and hitting Ace in the back, easily burning his flesh and possibly melting it, making him scream in pain as he collapsed into Luffy’s shaking arms. The strawhat wearing teen shakingly rose his hand, touching the bleeding wounds on Ace’s tattooed and freckled back, his dark brown eyes widening in terror.

**“THEY GOT ACE!!”** someone shouted from the crowd, making me grit my teeth in frustration as I slowly shoved the Admiral back bit by bit.

Seeing that Ace was alive, hurt but alive, Akainu withdrew his fist from the corpses, and tried to attack once more in hopes of killing him, only to be stopped by Jinbei the whale shark Fishman. “Stop wasting my time, Jinbei. You’re a former Warlord. You should know my strength…”

Jinbei stood resolute before my brothers, his shoulders squared as he got ready to defend them once more. “Even if it costs me my body, I’ll hold you back as long as I can!! My life has no value to begin with!!”

**“What are you doing, Garp!?”** demanded Sengoku as he smashed a rock into the back of Gramps’ head and pinned him to the ground.

“Haa…!! Hold me back just like that, Sengoku!! Otherwise… **I’m going to kill that Sakazuki!!** ”

Next thing I knew, Vista and Marco stopped the magma-man from attacking Jinbei.

Ignoring them, I quickly went over to my brothers, though I kept my Armament Haki up just in case of any attacks, only to hear Ace talking as if he was dying. He just smiled, looking tired as he talked to Luffy, wanting for the idiot to actually become the next King.

His glazed dark gray eyes locked on to me, giving a choked laugh shortly after. “Long time no see, sis. I see you’re still pretty as always, and that you gathered a crew to sail under my mark… Sorry that it’d be put to waste, and that I never got to uphold my promise of making you my first mate. We both thought you’d make a better captain, so it’s not that big of a deal…” Ace slurred, his eyes slowly drooping closed as he fought to stay awake just a moment longer. “Rain… Rain, I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for me. The love you showered me in, even before we all drank to being siblings. Rain… Sis… I’m tired. Just _so tired_ … I think I will take a nap, okay?” he mumbled before his eyes finally closed, sliding off of Luffy’s shoulder and onto the cold ground, his body hardly moving at all.

Luffy took everything the wrong way, his mind shutting down as he gazed listlessly at the sky, his mouth agape in pain as blood started flowing from it. Even everyone else seem to think Ace was dead— and he would be, too, if we didn’t get him patched up soon!

Stooping low, I slapped Luffy hard across the face. “Snap out of it, you fool!” however even _that_ could do nothing.

“You’re next, Strawhat Luffy!! Hurricane Rain!!” Akainu shouted, moving around those who stood in his way, and launched an attack at us both. I swung my arm, hoping to stop his attack, just as his magma fist came into contact with my Armament Haki. I flinched, feeling the intense heat trying to melt away my flesh through the Haki coated arm. I managed to knock his attack off course enough to allow Marco the Phoenix to stand before us, while Niko flapped his wings above us.

“I won’t let you take their life! Take Ace’s siblings and go, Jinbei!” commanded the 1st Division Commander.

“Got it!” the Fishman quickly agreed and scooped Luffy into his arms, while Niko swooped down and picked up Ace around his middle, making sure not to hurt my brother with his sharp black talons.

“Niko! Get Ace to the ship!” I ordered the crow hybrid, who nodded once and flew upwards and away from the battle, the rest of the crew following after. I then turned to look at the blue flames the covered the Phoenix’s back, tapping the butt of my staff against the ground and causing it to unfold into a fan-like glider **[2]**. “You think you can hold him off long enough, Old timer?” I jested, smirking at the blond Phoenix.

His flames receded enough to show that he was smirking, a single eyebrow cocked in question. “What is with all the cocky kids these days? Just sit back and enjoy the show, Little missy…”

“Yahaha, you think we’re bad now, you should have seen us when we were still kids! We were such little hellions for our caregivers!” I laughed, using my glider to get away from the bubbling magma of the Admiral.

“I said those three siblings won’t escape!!” Akainu shouted, throwing a magma covered fist at us.

“Akainu!! Look out!!”

Standing behind him and ready to attack, was none other than Whitebeard himself. _‘Whoa… He moves fast, even with his age and those wounds against him…’_ I was in awe as he landed hit on the Admiral, though shortly after, Akainu launched his own attack that seemed to take a chunk out of the old pirate captain’s skull. “Shit!” I swore, gaining more air and flying around, trying to find the lone otter Mink in the sea of humans.

He weaved in and out of people, his cream colored vest standing out against his dark brown fur, as he held a brownish-red nodachi in his paws. I witnessed as Whitebeard then cut the island in half with his Devil Fruit powers, causing the Mink to shout in surprise as he ran away from the drop.

“Oi! Odd, throw me Shikaku!” upon hearing me, the otter looked up, and without hesitating, he threw the large sword up to me— along with a backpack— as I lowered enough to catch it, before adjusting my hold on the gliders, riding it as if it was a surfboard instead, pulling the backpack’s straps over my right shoulder as I flew. “Thanks! Now get to the ship ASAP, and make your way to _that_ island!” I ordered, making my way over to Whitebeard.

The old man chuckled upon seeing me land next to him, tucking my staff into my belt loops. That’s when everything started getting interesting as the one responsible for all this chaos finally appeared. **“Zehahaha!! It’s been too long!! It’s good to see you at death’s door, Old Man!!”**

Jumping back on my glider, I flew high above everyone with the help of my Devil Fruit, avoiding the battle by a hair’s width. “Ya okay there, Geezer?!” I shouted, flicking open my nodachi and gripping the hilt tightly.

“Gurarara! Don’t worry ‘bout me, Girly! I still got some fight left in these old bones of mine!”

“Even so! Let me leave you with a parting gift that you’ll even remember from the great beyond!” I told him, unsheathing Shikaku, tucking his scabbard into my belt, and gripped the hilt with both hands while focusing. The wind was drawn towards the long blade, wrapping around it along with Haki, as I took a deep breath before exhaling slowly. **“Wind Scar!” [3]** Swinging down, I launched the attack towards anyone who got close to Whitebeard and Blackbeard as they talked, destroying the island even more than it originally was from Whitebeard’s attack.

**“ONE PIECE IS REAL!!”** Whitebeard shouted loudly towards the heavens, clearly being heard around the world, before finally dying where he stood.

I bowed my head in respect for the old pirate, feeling honored to actually have met him even in his last moments. That is when Blackbeard wrapped himself and Whitebeard in a black cloth. An ominous feeling tickled my spine, making me leave the area quickly, just to see the Admirals on the move again. Aokiji froze the ocean once more, preventing any ships from leaving— though that did not stop Odd from diving into the unfrozen waters and swimming to our secondary ship— while Akainu glared at everyone.

“I already said I wouldn’t let them escape. Won’t you idiots just give up already?” he asked, appearing in front of Jinbei who carried Luffy. Growling, I added a boost of wind to speed me up, hoping to get there before the bastard could launch an attack. **“Give me Dragon’s son!! Jinbei!!”**

“I cannot do that,” the whale shark Fishman stated, matching Akainu’s stare with his own. “I’ve decided _I’ll protect this man, even if it costs me my life!_ ”

It felt like my heart stopped when Blackbeard appeared once more, showing that he can even steal Devil Fruit abilities, before declaring it to be his age of piracy. With that display of power, it caused the World Government headquarters to crumble to the ground. However, before he could sink Marineford (which was dumb, what with him being a Devil Fruit user and all), Sengoku stopped him. My attention was then drawn back to Jinbei and Akainu, just to see that bastard hit the Fishman and Luffy in one strike. I could smell it, even with the distance between us, the smell of rubber melting and burning.

The only thing I saw is red. **“YOU BASTARD! GET AWAY FROM LUFFY!!”**

Swinging Shikaku, I sent a wave of Haki and a blast of wind towards Akainu. Just as my attack hit, did another attack of sand collide with Akainu, making the sand attack stronger with my wind and Haki. Out of the whirl of sand appeared none other than Sir Crocodile. “If you want to protect something, do it right!! Don’t let them have their way anymore!!” he shouted at the pirates behind him, before pointing his golden hook at me. “And you, little girl! If you’re so worried about your brother, then make sure he gets the Hell out of here, instead of fighting with this piece of trash!!” and with that, he used his sand to send Jinbei and Luffy flying while I followed, dropping Shikaku down to Odd who bobbed up and down in the current of the ocean.

Buggy the Clown caught them, ironically, and took them far away, with my flying right behind them, dodging left and right to avoid any potential attacks that could come our way. “Hey, Jinbei, are you awake?! Where should I take you?!” panicked Buggy, as he tried finding a safe place to put them both, while I scanned the area.

“Eh…?! Something’s in the water… A ship?!” someone pointed out, making me look down as a yellow vessel breached the ocean’s surface.

“It’s a submarine!” I shouted, never seeing one before now, as one of the doors opened wide as someone stepped out.

“Bring Strawhat over here!!”

I recognized that voice from Sabaody! Looking closely, it was none other than Trafalgar Law; the Surgeon of Death himself, along with Jean Bart and the polar bear Mink. “Oi! Take them to the sub, Buggy!” I ordered, swooping down on my glider to be level with the clown pirate.

“And why should I listen to you?!” he spat, spraying me with saliva.

“You’re holding my little brother, BIG NOSE! SO DO AS I SAY, OR I’LL DESTROY YOU!” I shouted back, not in the mood to deal with such an idiot. “That man down there is probably the only one qualified to treat _both_ a Fishman and Luffy! SO TAKE THEM TO THE SUB!”

Buggy shrank back, sweating nervously at my harsh glare bore into his soul. “F-Fine!” Just then, Kizaru appeared before us both.

“Why don’t you just drop Strawhat Luffy?!”

And just like that, Buggy chucked Jinbei and Luffy at the sub. “Grab him, Jean Bart!!” ordered Law, turning around and entering the submarine. _“We’re going to dive!!”_

Jean Bart easily caught Jinbei, while the Mink caught Luffy as I landed as well. “Uwaa!! He’s got a terrible wound! Is he still alive?!”

I swung my staff, sending a Haki infused gust at the Logia user while bumping into the bear. “Please, hurry and get him inside!”

**“STOP IT!”** a scream from the island carried over, making everyone still for a while. Squinting, I noticed a lone Marine standing in front of Akainu with his arms spread out. **“Just stop already!! We can stop fighting now!! STOP THROWING LIVES AWAY!!”** the pink haired Marine begged, his voice cracking towards the end. However, for standing up and saying his mind on the pointlessness of the continued fighting, the boy seemed to be quickly sentenced to death with Akainu as his judge, jury, and executioner. Just as he was about to die, did someone appear before the teen and blocked the deadly blow with a saber.

Heart stoppingly familiar red hair swayed from the sudden stop of momentum, as a _very_ familiar pirate stood in front of, and protected, the lone Marine that wanted the pointless fighting to end. “Shanks…”

“Take him inside!!” Law called out, making me look away from the man Luffy and I have always admired.

Kizaru look ready to attack, though a click of a gun’s safety being released stilled his movements. _“Hold it right there, Kizaru!!”_

“Benn!” I called out, grinning widely at the first mate of the Red-Hair Pirates. He nodded his head in my direction in acknowledgement, never taking his eyes off of his target in the process.

**_“I came to end the war!”_ ** declared Shanks, holding Luffy’s hat in his hand. Turning, he spotted Buggy flying back towards land. “Buggy! Get that to Luffy! I have this treasure map I was going to give you…” Shanks smiled, easily bribing the clown with treasure as he tossed him Luffy’s beloved straw hat.

Running to the rails, I leaned over and waved towards the shore. “Oi! Shanks, Lucky Roo! Long time no see, guys!!”

“Oh, is that little Rain?! Wow, you sure grew to be a looker!” Shanks shouted back, also waving at me as I blushed at the compliment. “Whose ass to I have to kick, little Rain?!”

“Look in a mirror and you’ll find your answer, Old man!” I shouted back, trying to calm my racing heart, and push down my blush.

“Captain! I know it’s rare to see one of the four Emperors, but if we don’t go, the gate will close!!” the Mink shouted from inside the sub, and I looked over my shoulder, only to stare at a pair of cool gray eyes, which brought my blush back in full.

“Yeah… Wait, something’s flying this way!” Trafalgar Law drew his gaze to above my head, just as a certain straw hat hit me.

Flinching back, I scrambled to hold onto the hat, shooting Buggy a dirty look as I placed it on my own head for safe keeping. “Watch it, asshole!”

Suddenly a strong arm wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me into their warm hard chest. “Marine-ya, it would not be wise to stay on deck any longer. We will be diving soon.”

A shiver ran down my spine as Law’s hot breath tickled my ear. “R-Right…”

Once we entered the submarine did the heavy door closed and sealed itself shut. Keeping a hold on me, Law led me deeper into the sub as they dived, dodging Kizaru’s light attacks, and getting away from the battle. “Now, tell me who you really are, _Marine-ya_.”

In seconds, I was pinned to the cold metal that made up the inner walls of the vessel, Law’s long tattooed fingers curled around my throat as a ‘just in case’. I simply stared up at him, tipping Luffy’s hat back so we could be face-to-face. “Monkey D. Rain. I _did_ tell you that you’ve already met one of my little brothers. Now, if you’d kindly take me somewhere so I can have my blood drawn, because we both know Luffy’s going to need a transfusion, and I have the same blood type as him.” I said, pulling his hand away from my neck. “Oh, and I happen to be none other than the first mate of the soon-to-be resurrected Spade Pirates,” I added shortly after.

Law chuckled, looking very much amused. “You really are an interesting woman, _Rain-ya_.” He nodded down the steps, turning on his heel and leading me down and into a sterile room. “It’d be best if you laid back, as it will be more comfortable for you. Though I must ask, as a doctor, if there is something I should be on the lookout for while drawing your blood, and while operating on Strawhat-ya…”

I hummed softly, jumping up on the little bed and getting comfortable. “For me, personally, the only thing you’ll probably have to worry about is my hypoglycemia. I’ve had low blood sugar ever since I was a kid, so I always eat candies, which is why I was eating gummies when we met on Sabaody. As for Luffy… He’s rubber. So you might have to use Sea Stone cuffs while working on him. It’ll also keep him docile when he finally wakes up, because he’ll probably have no idea where he is, and will possibly think he’s still on Marineford fighting. Other than that, neither of us have any allergies, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

Law nodded once, pulling on a pair of latex gloves after he washed his hand, and tied a rubber tube around my upper left arm, flicking the crook of my elbow to coax a vein up, and then disinfected the area. He then set up the blood bag, tubing, and whatnot in an instant, before inserting the needle into my vein. I curled my fingers into a fist, helping the blood flow easily into the bag. “You sound hopeful that Fire Fist-ya will be fine… Why is that?” Law casually asked, keeping his eyes focused on his equipment.

“Because I know my little brothers as well as I know myself. As much as he might hate himself, and might not think he should live because he’s Roger’s son, he would gladly live if Luffy and I wished it. Luffy and I have been some of the only people to know whose kid he was, yet still love him anyways, and standing up for him,” I told Law, throwing my other arm over my eyes as I felt the tears prickling them. “Luffy almost got himself _killed_ shortly after we met Ace, just because he refused to sell out someone he wanted to befriend… And there were all those times I took the blame when Ace got into fights with people who bad mouthed Roger or us. I’d do anything for my little brothers.” Even with my arm obscuring my vision, I could still feel Trafalgar Law’s gaze pierce right through me.

After that we fell into a comfortable silence as I thought back to everything that has been going on recently, and thinking of what my next move should be. _“Purupurupuru… Purupurupuru…”_ knocked out of my thoughts, I removed my right arm over my face and dug through my bag, and pulled a Den Den Mushi that had a red shell with a black pattern that matched my bandana that was also in the bag, while the new Jolly Roger of the Spade Pirates was on its chest. _“Gatcha,”_ it said once I picked up the receiver.

“Hello?”

_“I’ve seen you are finally causing problems, my little hurricane…”_ a soft, yet deep, voice stated from the other end as the snail mimicked the man’s sinister-looking smile.

I merely rolled my eyes, while Law cocked an eyebrow in questioning. “I’m a Monkey. Of course I’ll cause problems sooner or later,” I stated flippantly, as a grin slowly curled my lips upward.

_“Mm, I expect nothing less from such an airy child. The wind is changing dramatically because of it, and a storm will be unleashed upon the world now that the gates have been blown open. A lone hurricane might not survive with all these bigger storms circling it now.”_

“That’s an easy fix, after all, I won’t be alone much longer once we mix fire into my storm. The Government will come to regret even _thinking_ about harming my brothers.” Law checked the blood bag, unhooking it, stored it away, before removing the needle in my arm and discarded the waste into a biohazard safe trash can close by. Slowly sitting up, I kept my left arm stretched out so Law could place a bandage where the needle once was. “However that will wait. We are not strong enough to move forward, and some of us have wounds that need to be licked, while the world thinks Ace is possibly dead. I want to let them believe it for as long as possible, so we can train in peace.”

The voice hummed in understanding. _“Very well, little hurricane. When you get a chance, tell Ivankov I await our reunion.”_

Exhaling heavily through my nose, I gave the snail a deadpan look. “What do I look like? Your secretary, old man?” Instead of an answer, I merely got a dial tone instead. “Asshole! What kind of dad hangs up on his own kid?!” I shouted, throwing the receiver back in place on the shell, my temple throbbing in annoyance at his actions. “Freaking idiot, hanging up on me all of a sudden, while being all mysterious…” I complained, rummaging through my bag and throwing a few hard candies into my mouth. I pulled out my bandana and tied it around my head, and started removing the hideous Marines uniform that I’ve been subjected to for that last half a year, dropping the clothes onto the floor while redressing into my own outfit.

“You have no shame, Rain-ya,” Law commented from behind me.

I tilted my head back, looking at him upside down as I pulled on my coveralls— tying the top half around my waist— before tugging on my black work boots. “You try being the only girl in a group of little boys raised by Mountain Bandits, and try and retain any form of acceptability in polite society. Anyways, we were going to be pirates, so we didn’t have to follow such rules, and it was better they got used to seeing naked girls with me first, then say with prostitutes or whatever else is out there… Moreover, it’s not like I’m undressing and redressing in front of your whole crew, now _that_ is something I’m uncomfortable with doing.” I popped in a few more candies while keeping eye contact with him, just to see the captain shake his head in disbelief. “Has anyone told you that your hat looks a bit like a poisonous mushroom?” I asked out of the blue, seemingly startling the surgeon as his jaw went slack as his eyes widened a bit.

Bringing a tattooed covered hand to his face, he chuckled softly while shaking his head once more. “No. Probably because they are too terrified to say anything, or already caught in my Room.”

“Huh, well I like it. It looks different, and it suits the Surgeon of Death from the North Blue.” I smirked, shrugging my shoulders as I spun around to properly face him.

“Captain! A battleship just appeared! What is it that you wish for us to do?” someone cried over the voicepipes, causing us to both look towards the source.

Law furrowed his eyebrows, looking confused as he walked over to a cone. “It should be impossible for them to follow unless…” he frowned, going deep in thought.

“Unless someone was using a Vivre card of someone on this submarine, _or_ had an animal or something that could follow us even on the ocean floor. And the only one associated with the World Government that has an animal is none other than the Warlord Boa Hancock,” I supplied, walking over to the cone and speaking into it, shoving the old uniform into my bag. “Rumors say she is a man-hater to the core, yet during the war she kept gushing over Luffy,” at this, I felt my blood boil at what _that_ could possibly mean. “In the end, it is your call, Captain Trafalgar.”

“Hmm, if your observation is correct, it would be best for us to surface.” He concluded, casting me a sideways glance before issuing the order. “Care to join me above deck, Rain-ya?” He smirked, looking amused as I glared upwards.

“I would’ve joined you, even if you didn’t offer… After all, I wanna meet the old hag that apparently likes my baby brother.” Huffing, I exited the small infirmary and made my way upwards, while Law went further into the sub. “Where are you going, Law?”

“To check on my patients first, and to deliver the blood you donated for Strawhat-ya. As capable as my crew is, I like to make sure the operation is going smoothly before stepping in myself, once we’re at a safer location,” Law informed me as he walked away. Shrugging, I continued on my way, making it to the deck after a few wrong turns, and meeting the polar bear Mink.

“Whoa…” I had to tilt my head back to actually see his face, seeing him blink his black button eyes down at me. “You could probably easily kill me, and I’d totally be okay with that, but you are the most cutest bear I have ever met… Well, bear Mink, but that’s beside the point.”

“You know what I am?” he questioned, looking surprised as he pointed a clawed paw at himself.

I nodded, grinning widely at him. “Sure do! My best friend is an otter Mink himself. Do you also refer to humans as Lesser Minks, or is that just him?” I questioned, as I’ve been curious about it ever since Odd first called me as Lesser Mink.

“All members of the Mink Tribe refer to humans as such. To us, you’re just all less hairy monkeys.”

“That’s ironic, considering that my name is _Monkey_ D. Rain. Pleasure to meet you…”

“Bepo. I’m the first mate and navigator.”

I whistled lowly, clearly impressed. “Heh, guess we have something in common, Bepo. I’ll be a first mate myself, if things go smoothly.”

“Interested in my navigator, Rain-ya?”

I jumped, startled as Law suddenly appeared behind me with a smug smile. “Jesus Christ! Ya trying to make my heart stop or something?” I gripped my chest in hopes of calming the racing organ.

He rose a single eyebrow, tilting his head a bit to the side. “And kill someone so interesting? Never,” he chuckled, sliding passed us so he could get a better look at the battleship.

“How is Luffy doing?!” shouted a high pitched— and annoying, in my opinion— voice from the other vessel.

“You did well figuring out we were surfacing here. We thought the Marines were here, so we freaked out for a moment,” Bepo said instead of answering the condescending woman’s question.

“Salome was following you on the seafloor. And don’t change the subject, you dumb beast!!”

“Sorry…” Bepo replied weakly, bowing his head in shame.

That got my blood to boil, seeing the woman hurt such a sweet person’s feelings. I jumped on the railing, careful to keep my balance so I would not fall into the water. “Oi! That’s not how you treat someone, you old hag!” I shouted, pointing up at the snake woman.

“O-Old hag?! Who are you to dare call one as beautiful as I such a thing?!” she demanded, sounding so offended at the mere thought.

I snorted in a very unladylike manner in response. “Beauty is cheap, mainly when paired with such an ugly personality. Here in a handful of years your so-called ‘beauty’ will fade, leaving you to look like a nasty old hag,” I commented, casually crossing my hands behind my head. “As for whom I am, and please pay attention— I know people tend to be hard of hearing the older they get, my name is Monkey D. Rain! Luffy’s older sister! Or did you not hear Fleet Admiral Sengoku when he informed everyone that I was also Dragon’s kid?” I teased, watching as her face turned a very violent red color.

“Off the railing, Rain-ya, before you fall in,” Law ordered, looping an arm around my waist and easily lifting me off my feet before setting me down on the deck next to him. “My crew and I have done all I can. The effectiveness of the operation is tied to his condition. He’s taken an impossible amount of damage. I can’t guarantee he’ll survive,” he informed us, looking at me instead of the Warlord that now stood on the deck with us.

“Luffy will pull through. It might take time, but I believe in him.” I said firmly, looking Law right in the eye.

The snake woman did not look too sure herself, though, as she frowned at the news.

“Of course! Hiihaa!” someone shouted from above. I looked up, only to see the most largest face ever to possibly exist.

“Who are they?!” a few Heart Pirates shouted, looking confused at the sight of all the okamas.

“That’s right!! Strawhat tried his hardest!! We were able to escape prison thanks to him!!” The okamas shouted back.

“Prisoners from Impel Down… It looks like they’re Luffy’s allies. They snuck onto the battleship.”

“And we’re heading to the place we’ve dreamed of for so many long years, the Kingdom of Kamabakka!!” they cheered, looking pleased. “From Newkama Land to the true home of okamas!!”

The largest okama then jumped on deck, landing surprisingly light on his feet. “The Strawhat-boy was already injured so badly he couldn’t stand at Impel Down! It’s amazing he managed to do anything in that condition! And that was all so that he could rescue his brother, Ace!!”

“Jeez, what a reckless little monkey of a brother I have,” I mumbled, arms crossed under my chest.

“That brother that he tried so hard to save died right before his eyes…” at this, Law casted me a long sideways glance, but I kept my mouth shut and refused to correct the large okama. “No God or Buddha would have caused that! It wouldn’t be surprising if his spirit was broken!!”

The other okamas cried out their well wishes for Luffy’s recovery, while the snake lady looked ready to start bawling as she turned around and cupped her cheeks, the large snake coiling around her. “How tragic… If I could, I’d suffer in his place… I feel so bad for you, Luffy…”

“Keep your pity to yourself. It is not wanted _nor_ needed!” I shouted at her in annoyance.

The large okama then turned to look directly at Law. “By the way, are you Strawhat-boy’s friend?”

“No…” Law stated plainly. “I had no obligation to help him. But if you’re uncomfortable with my kindness, shall I make something up?” he asked, a slight sarcastic undertone going undetected by everyone else it seemed.

“No, that’s fine. There are times when instinct moves your body.” The okama crossed his arms into an ‘X’ in front of his chest.

“Wait!!” we turned around, seeing Jinbei exiting the submarine. “Haa… haa… You’re Trafalgar Law, from North Blue, right?” You have my thanks for saving my life…!!”

Law did not look all the impressed at the Fishman already being up and moving. “If you don’t sleep, you’ll die.” And there is the proof.

“My heart won’t calm down… It’s futile… What I’ve lost this time… Was too important to me!! And compared to that, Luffy’s loss was even deeper… When he lost consciousness, it must have been a defense mechanism… To prevent him from losing his life… I’m more worried… about what happens when he awakes…” Jinbei said, honestly looking worried.

“Honestly…” I sighed, putting a comforting hand on the Fishman’s arm. “Keep in mind that Luffy’s rubber. He’ll bounce back in the end, and we already have a plan for when he wakes up. However I appreciate that you are worried about Luffy’s mental wellbeing as well as his physical one.”

“You, beast! Do you have a Den Den Mushi?”

Twitching, I swung my staff in Boa Hancock’s direction, making sure the wind attack barely missed her face. The older woman jumped, her dark gazing quickly looking over at me. _“I suggest rephrasing that request, Old hag!”_

She swallowed thickly, her blue eyes drifting down so they did not meet my own, as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. “May I please borrow your Den Den Mushi, if you have one?”

I nodded approvingly. “I find it sad when both Ace and Luffy have better manners than an Empress…” I mocked, still not caring for her in general.

“If we call the Kuja Pirate ship, we can pull this submarine across the Calm Belt!!” she continued on, trying to act as she did not hear me.

Scoffing, I merely rolled my eyes as I reclined against the wall next to the door, and slowly slide down so I can dig through my bag. Finding a sucker, I removed the wrapper and popped it into my mouth. “Do ya think she knows that this sub can easily get across the Calm Belt without being pulled?” I whispered loudly in Law’s direction, watching in amusement as he smothered his chuckles with his hand.

“If the Government learns that Luffy is alive, they’ll definitely come after him. We’ll hide him on the Isle of Women. And if I’m still one of the Shichibukai, he can safely recover there.”

I snapped my fingers, suddenly remembering something. “Is there an Ivankov here?” I asked, seeing as I didn’t really know how this person looked.

“That would be me! What is it?” the large-headed okama declared.

Blinking, I scratched the back of my head. “Wow, the Old man sure has some weird looking friends…” I commented. “But that’s beside the point. I talked to him earlier, and he awaits your reunion.”

“Hiihaa! I look forward to reuniting with Dragon eventually! It is a pleasure to meet both of his beloved children!” Ivankov laughed, looking excited.

I suddenly remember reading something about his Devil Fruit. “Oh! Is it true that your Devil Fruit allows you to change a person’s gender?”

“Yup! If I wish, I can change a man into a woman and a woman into a man!”

“Yahaha! That’s great! If we weren’t all so tired, I would so ask for you to turn me into a guy for a day,” I laughed, falling over and holding my stomach. “If fate lets us meet again, I’ll ask it as a favor, okay?” the large okama looked tickled pink and he nodded in agreement.

“My duty to protect Strawhat-boy ends here! Hiihaa! Can you take care of things from here, Jinbei!?”

“Yes. I still can’t swim at my best, so at the very least, I’ll watch over Luffy until he recovers. Though I don’t know how much help I’ll be…” he admitted.

“Don’t worry about it. After all, it’s the thought that counts, right?” I stated while lounging on the deck, drawing his gaze to me, while I gave him a reassuring smile.

With the okamas best wishes for Luffy, they made their leave on the battleship just as the Kuja Pirates ship pulled up along side the Heart Pirates. When it came to a stop, two large women quickly jumped over, shouting “Big sister!” followed by others shouting “Snake Princess”.

Hancock just soaked up all the attention like a sponge. “Sorry that I made you worry, Sandersonia, Marigold, and everyone!” she addressed them, while I frowned. The dramatics was not needed in my opinion. “Thank you for your warm greeting!”

“We are all so grateful for you great work as a Warlord!” one of the women stated. Her hair was parted on the left and was styled very short, and she wore what appeared to be pear earrings. Next, Hancock gave out orders to the women about how they were going to take us to Amazon Lily, and a lot of other stuff that I did not care for.

Grunting, I got back up and walked to one of the Heart pirates that were on deck. “Excuse me, can one of you show me to the room Luffy’s in?” I asked, looking at the man wearing a penguin hat that actually said ‘Penguin’ on it, with a red pom-pom on top.

Both he and his friend blushed. “S-Sure! R-Right this way, miss!” they both stuttered, only for the woman with long green hair to get in our way.

“And just who are you to ask to see big sister’s beloved?” she demanded, arms crossed under her chest as she stared down at me.

“Get out of our way, or I’ll throw you into the sea.” I warned, my blood boiling again. She did not budge at all, irking me even further. “Okay, that’s it!” tossing my staff to one of the guys, I got behind the taller woman and locked both my arms around her hips, and quickly suplexed her, much to the shock of the other Kuja Pirates. “Next crazy woman who gets in my way is being sent flying! This isn’t even your ship to give orders on! So unless Captain Trafalgar Law, _himself_ , says that I cannot see my _baby brother_ , I’m gonna do what I wish, and right now I wish to see my brother! SO GET BACK TO YOUR OWN SHIP!” I shouted at the end, directing my Haki at them to let the Kuja know I’m serious.

“Sonia! Get over here!” Hancock order, standing proudly on the deck of her ship.

“But big sister!”

Hancock’s glare cut her short, making her press her lips into a thin line. “Do not argue, Sandersonia. As much as it pains me to let another woman anywhere _near_ my darling, she is Luffy’s sister! Step aside and get over here, now.”

“You do know Luffy does not see anyone as more than a friend or family member, right?” I questioned, completely exasperated with the crazy Empress. She huffed, flicking her long black hair over her shoulder. I merely rolled my eyes. “Lead the way, boys!”

“Yes ma’am!” the replied cheerfully, and led me into the sub.

“Next time that old hag talks about my brother in such a sickening way, I’m just gonna kick her in the face,” I told the two, twirling my staff between my fingers. All of a sudden both guys had nose bleeds, and their faces were flushed red. Chuckling, I threw an arm around each of their shoulders and brought them down to my height. “So, the both of you are a couple of perverts, huh?” I teased, watching as their faces turned even redder. “Too bad for both of you, but your captain has already gotten a nice look at my goods,” I joked, leaving out the fact the only thing Law could really see was my back, seeing as I wore a singlet under the Marine uniform just in case.

“D-Dammit… Captain always get the pretty ones first!” cried the redhead on my left. “We need to step up our game, Penguin!”

“I hear you, Shachi,” the one called Penguin agreed, his voice sounding stuffy as he shoved tissue up his nose to stop the bleeding.

“Wow. I was just joking, guys. Don’t get all depressed now…” they both cheered up instantly once we came to a stop in front of a door. “Thanks, see you two later!” Shachi and Penguin waved, and went back to do whatever they did on the submarine, as I opened the door and walked inside. There was already a chair next to Luffy’s bedside, right next to the nodachi I have seen Law carrying every time I have met him. I plopped down, allowing the stress that I have been feeling melt away, as the tears started to fall. “Luffy, you moron! So stupid, so reckless… What am I to do if I had lost you both? Dammit, I already have to worry about Ace pulling through, and now here you are, also worrying me into an early grave.” I slid my hand under the covers, grabbing his bandaged one and holding it tightly. “I _forbid you_ from dying, Monkey D. Luffy. How can you be the Pirate King, the freest person in the world, if you die and break your promise? The promise you made with Shanks, with me, with your crew? You’re a _D._ dammit! If we’re going to die, we’re going to go out with a smile! Not a broken mess, ya hear!” Using my free hand, I wiped away my tears. “I refuse to lose another little brother, Luffy. After everything with Sabo, and now with the uncertainty of Ace’s condition, we have to get even stronger than we ever were, so we will _never_ lose another important person.”

I said what I wanted and got up, leaving the room quietly, and returned to the deck. “Just in time, Rain-ya. We just reached Amazon Lily,” commented Law, relaxing next to the door.

“Well, that’s good…”

Once the gate opened did deafening shouts of “Snake Princess!” and “Welcome back!” could be heard, making me cringe at the loud noise. It was just Dragon and I before Luffy was born, and shortly after that, Gramps took us to Foosha Village, which was pretty quiet with no serious action, before we lived in the mountains, and even then it was pretty quiet except for the natural order of things. So large cities and anything of the like just did not sit well with me.

“Look! There are only women!”

“It’s true that it’s a female-only island!”

It seems that the members of the Heart Pirates— minus Bepo and Law— have found paradise if their comments were anything to go by. I adjusted my stance only a bit, my Observation Haki picking up the hostility that was aimed in our direction, just as some of the warriors started arming their weapons. “I _really_ hate cat fights…” I muttered lowly, getting a questioning look from a few people on deck.

“Smells nice!”

“I feel lightheaded!”

“This must be heaven!”

None of them seem to notice the hostile feeling in the air, causing me to sigh heavily. “Hey, you guys.” Law quickly got their attention, his arms crossed and eyes closed, as he gave his orders. “You gotta go back in, otherwise you’ll die.”

“That’s a cheery way of wording it, Law.” I snorted, not relaxing at all, as I wondered if he was using Haki without even realizing it, just as he moved his head a bit to the side just in time, as a Haki infused arrow burrowed into the wall next to him. Spinning my staff between my fingers, I used my Devil Fruit and infused my Haki into it, just in time to send the hundreds of arrows back. “HANCOCK! WHAT KIND OF EMPRESS LETS HER SUBJECTS ATTACK WITHOUT BEING ORDERED?! IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO THIS SUB, I’M TAKING YOUR HEAD, GOT THAT?!” I shouted at the Warlord, who also looked displeased with the women.

“People, stop! They’re not our enemy!” Hancock informed them firmly.

“Snake Princess!”

“Luffy is in that ship! He suffered greatly, mentally and physically, during the battle at Marineford and he is hanging between life and death now.”

“Tch. This woman just seems to naturally get under my skin!” I fumed, slamming my back against the wall next to Law, and yanked out the arrow.

“Luffy’s here?!”

“Ladies, carry Luffy to the Kuja Castle as soon as possible!”

Hearing this, I turned and looked up at Law. “Is there a chance you won’t let her do that? Cause I honestly do not trust that crazy lady anywhere near my comatose brother… Who knows just what she’d do while he’s recovering…” Law shook his head, silently telling me that he wouldn’t allow it, as he kept his cold gaze fixated on the Empress who turned into a blushing schoolgirl.

“Wait a minute, Snake Princess!” an old woman called out, holding a blue snake like a walking stick.

“Granny Nyon!” one of the Kuja women identified the old woman.

“It is fine if it was just Luffy. But we can’t allow those strange men on that strange ship to step foot onto the Maiden Island. It’s against our country’s policy!”

“Then, let’s just allow the doctor to come with him so…” Hancock tried arguing, only to be refused by the old lady.

“We can’t allow any men to come onto the island, even if he is a doctor!”

“Makes you wonder if that also is the same for male animals, or male Fishman and Minks… let alone little boys…” I commented offhandedly.

“We have so many good doctors on this island!”

“Well, I don’t care either way but… do you have the same medical equipment and technology as my ship?” Law questioned, looking at both women. “If his wound opens up, he’s going to die. Take Strawhat-ya if you don’t care about it.”

“Over my dead body! If it is that risky to move Luffy, then he will stay on this ship. As his blood sister, and the only one who can give him blood if a transfusion is needed again, I get the final say in what happens to him. If you Kuja women don’t like it, then fine. I am sure there are other islands that will gladly house the Heart Pirates while he recovers.” I then cut my gaze to Hancock. “My word is final, and not even an _Empress_ can make me change it.”

Said Empress the proceeded to panic, which for someone of high standing, was probably not the best thing to do in front of her people. Jinbei huffed, getting up and walking towards the center of the deck. “It’s obvious that we can’t save Luffy without this man, and his own sister has spoken against anyone else treating him. If he can’t come in, we have no choice. We must go somewhere else, just as Rain suggested.”

“I’d suggest going to Alabasta Kingdom, even if the climent will not agree with Bepo, as the royal family is close to Luffy, and owes him a great debt.” I offered casually, digging into my coverall pockets and fishing out an Eternal Pose set for Alabasta.

“Impossible! We’d be attacked by the Sea Kings!” shouted Hancock. “Even if we get away from them, the Navy could find us at anytime! What should we do?!”

“It’s a sub. It can easily hide from anyone from the Government,” I pointed out, breaking the arrow in half and throwing it overboard.

“Oh, well… We only do it as an exception but… you can stay in the area of the bay.” Granny Nyon finally relented, so I stashed the Eternal Pose back into my pocket. “The Sea Kings won’t attack you there.”

“Then, I’ll stay with them to look after Luffy…”

“No way!” I cut her off instantly, watching as she stumbled forward. “I’m not allowing any crazy old lady, who pervs on someone that’s not even close to being twenty and still acts like he’s ten, anywhere near my little brother. So get lost!”

All of Amazon Lily gasped in shock, clearly not used to anyone refusing the Empress.

“And why not?! Am I not beautiful enough to be your sister-in-law?!”

“How many times do I have to spell it out for you, idiot?!” I shouted, a tick mark appearing on my temple, as I glared at her. “You. Are. Too. _Old_ ! You’re what? Nearly 13 years older than Luffy! And your personality is disgusting! And if I have any say in it— which I _do_ !— Luffy will live a happy and long life without any romantic or sexual relationships with _anyone_ , including you, Old hag! Either deal with a platonic friendship, or get lost!”

The empress actually looked as if I physically struck her as she fell silent, and led us to the bay the Heart Pirates, Jinbei, and I were going to stay in.

Law chuckled softly next to me, looking amused by my dislike of the Empress. “It seems as if you have a bit of a little brother complex, Rain-ya,” he commented.

“Not really. If it was probably anyone else then I wouldn’t have such a problem with them showing interest in Luffy. However it is common knowledge that Boa Hancock uses her so-called ‘beauty’ to get her way, and that she is not really nice to anyone, and has the habit of kicking small animals if they walk across her path. It reminds me too much of the nobles in Goa Kingdom, and it brings up bad memories, so as the only one with common sense, it is my duty to protect Luffy from such people, even if they are nice to him.” I hopped up onto the railing, locking my feet around one of the posts to help secure my balance, and pulled out my raspberry sucker from my mouth with an audible **POP**. “I’ll take Nico Robin as a sister-in-law before the Snake Empress.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> American Nidiot: Now to clear up the little notes left in the chapter!
> 
> [1] - You might notice that Naruto reference, due to my use of the name "Shikaku". This is intentional on my part, seeing as- depending on how it is written- Shikaku has a few interesting meanings. One of which is "Assassin" (Shikaku is literally a Ninja Assassin), but it can also be read as "Dead Space" which can work with Rain and Law's Devil Fruit powers, seeing as Rain's is all about air/oxygen/wind, and the term 'dead space' can be used when talking about the airways, but it is also a term used in surgery. That is why Rain's Shikaku will be read as "Dead space" if we were going with the kanji.
> 
> [2] - Do we have any Avatar: The Last Airbender fans? Cause her staff looks like Aang's when he uses it as a glider.
> 
> [3] - I couldn't help myself with this one. It literally is called Wind Scar! Sorry InuYasha, but I'mma borrow two of your attacks for Rain to use with her sword.
> 
> Yes, Rain cannot stand Boa Hancock at all, and they will constantly be at each other's throats. If I were to be honest, even with knowing her back story, Hancock still rubs me the wrong way, like if your were to pet a cat or dog the opposite way their fur grows type of wrong. So this lets me vent a bit on that subject.
> 
> Though, just to inform you all if you plan to read any of my other One Piece stories, this is the only story that the main character will be hostile towards Hancock. The others will either be polite, or very neutral with the woman.


	4. The Galaxy Diamond

Ace looked up from his position on the bolder he liked to sit on and think, seeing Rain carefully crawl up to him with a package tightly clenched in her free arm. “Sis?” he called out tentatively, a bit wary as she sat next to him. Her face was scuffed up, smears of dirty decorating her clothes and face as she held out the brown paper package to him.

“Happy birthday, Ace!” she cheered, smiling at the now 12 year old boy, one of her baby teeth now missing on the upper left side and still bleeding slightly. She must have went into one of the towns on Dawn Island, close to Mt. Carvo, and got into a fight with someone. It explained her appearance.

The freckled boy flushed slightly, taking the package from her hands and placing it in his lap, his nickel gray eyes wide as he felt tears built up. He wiped them away, not wanting to cry in front of _Rain_ of all people, and carefully peeled back the paper. Sitting in the middle of the paper was a burnt orange stetson with red beads acting as the hat band around the crown, with two blue smilies sitting close to the front— one was smiling while the other frowned— while two long orange side straps hung down the sides of the hat and met at a large medallion of a bull’s skull with orange tassels tying it all together.

“You like it? I thought you deserve something, seeing as I have my bandana, while Luffy has his straw hat, and even Sabo had his own hat,” she mumbled towards the end, smiling sadly as she knocked her heels against the stone. “Now we all have our own head gear!” Rain brightened up almost instantly as she took the hat and put it on Ace’s head. It was a little bit big, as it nearly covered his eyes. “Don’t worry, you’ll grow into it eventually,” teased Rain, lifting the brim up a bit to peek at the younger boy, a soft smile crossing her pretty face.

Whacking her hand away, Ace pulled the hat back over his face as the tears began to fall, his body shaking with each silent sob. “Thank you…” he whispered so softly, Rain had to strain her ears to hear him. “I’ll treasure this hat forever…”

“Ace!! Rain!!” Luffy shouted, suddenly barging from some nearby bushes noisily as he carried a small white box. “Makino made a cake for Ace’s birthday! So let’s party!”

“We’ll meet you at the fort Luffy, okay?”

“Okay, Rain!” and he zoomed off, giggling happily.

Rain turned a bit to face Ace, and proceeded to kiss his cheek. “I’m glad you’re my little brother, Ace, never doubt that, okay?” she then pulled him into a tight embrace. _“Now don’t give up, you must live, Ace!”_

†††

Breathing heavily, I cracked open my eyes, and stared up at a wooden ceiling. Lifting a hand shakily, I brought it up to my face, pulling the oxygen mask down, and stared in wonderment. _‘Why am I not dead? Where’s Luffy?!’_ panic began setting in, causing the heart monitor to go crazy, however before I could dwell more on it, I passed out once more, while thinking of one other person. “Rain…”

†††

I sneezed loudly, rubbing under my nose as I looked up at the sky. “Someone must be thinking of me,” I joked, turning back to Shachi and Penguin. “Ready to go again?”

Both men had their hands on their knees, lightly panting before looking up in determination. “We’re good! Don’t hold back!”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” I told them while tying my bandana around my eyes, making a makeshift blindfold as I focused on my Observation Haki. With each attack, I either dodged or countered with my own while keeping an eye on not just their auras, but also all the others in the bay area.

“Rain is very skilled,” commented Jinbei, sitting over by Law.

Law seemed to hum in agreement, seeming to focus on my movements if his aura was anything to go by. “If you enjoy watching me so much, Trafalgar, maybe you’d like to join in? I’m sure there’s a few things we can teach each other…”

“Captain always gets the pretty ones!” a few members of the Heart Pirates cried, taking my words the wrong way. Snorting, I knocked Penguin and Shachi off their feet, and removed my bandana before retying it so that it held most of my hair out of my face, while my bangs framed my face.

“How much longer do we have to stay in such a small space…” someone sighed, as I took a seat next to Jinbei, and right across from Law.

“Yeah, the only thing to look forward to is…”

“Guys, sorry to keep you waiting!”

“It’s a meal time.”

A group of Kuja warriors called out, carrying food into the bay.

“Finally!” the men shouted, rushing over to them as quick as possible.

“Here it is.”

“The only consolation is that the food is good!”

“I agree!”

I chuckled at the excited faces of the men as they lined in front of the tallest Kuja woman, who spooned out soup for them happily. “Here you go!”

“Thank you…”

“Please don’t push and wait for your turn.” The Kuja woman lightly scolded the men, watching as they quickly got in line.

“Aphelandra!” the oldest scowled at the other Kuja, not pleased that she was talking to the men. “Don’t talk to the men!” shortly after, I tuned her out, finding it to be ridiculous.

“Did she just seriously waste perfectly good meat, just because Aphelandra is telling the guys to wait their turn?” I questioned, frowning at the loss of food.

Next, the blond Kuja came rushing over to us, and went over to Law as he drank wine straight from the bottle. “Excuse me,” she called out, gaining his attention. At least she has manners, unlike her Empress. “Is Luffy awake?” she asked, only for Law to shake his head in the negative, while I frowned again. For the last two weeks, I visited Luffy daily to make sure he was all right, spending at least an hour or two with him, and peppering his face with good luck kisses. “I see…”

“It’s up to Strawhat-ya’s spirit.” Law commented. “Whether he’s willing to live or not.” I was unsure if he was trying to be reassuring or not.

Margaret sighed heavily, before turning to me. “Here, a gift from some of us Kuja warriors,” she said, offering me a brown package that she had tucked under her cloak. “We’re not really allowed to talk to the men, so thank you for keeping us up to date on Luffy’s condition.”

I accepted it, a bit surprised. “It’s nothing, really…” I waved off her thanks. “But seriously, you guys all need a sex education class. How the Hell do you actually think the term ‘family jewels’ actually refer to _real_ jewels?” I teased, watching her flush as she remembered that embarrassing story she told me on the second day we stayed here in the bay.

“Margaret, let’s go already!” the grumpy Kuja shouted.

“I’m coming! I’m sorry! Take good care of Luffy!” she bowed her head towards Law and rushed off to the others.

“I like her. She’s nice,” I commented offhandedly, while Law just watched them leave. Suddenly my back stiffened as I turned, looking towards the sub. “Luffy… he’s awake! Is he wearing seastone cuffs?!” I asked, seeing as I had not seen him wearing any during my earlier visit.

“Not currently. Strawhat-ya’s bandages needed changing, so we removed them… What’s wrong, Rain-ya?”

I bit my lip in frustration. “Luffy’s going to blast a hole in your sub soon. I’ll pay whatever I need to for the damages, but your crew should clear out of his way.”

**“AHH!”**

Law and Jinbei got up and rushed over, just as Luffy busted a hole through the sub to escape. His landing was rough, surprising both Jinbei and Law, while I anxiously bit my thumbnail. “Luffy!”

“Ace…” he began digging his fingers into the ground, forming a fist as he panted. “Ace…” Luffy then threw his head back, screaming to the heavens. “Where’s Ace?!” the Heart Pirates tried calming him down, only to get blown back.

“Guys! Stop! It’s worthless trying to restrain him, mainly without Haki to help!” I shouted, catching a few of them, just as more dogpiled Luffy. Law and Jinbei both sat down, with Law giving me a long side-glance as more of his crew tried to restrain Luffy.

“What is going to happen if we leave him like that?” questioned the Fishman, turning to look at the Surgeon.

“Well, it’s simple. Like I said when we got here, if his wound opens up, he will die.” Law stated calmly as I took a seat with them, sitting on my knees, and watched as Luffy torn down the barrier and vanished into the forest, all while screaming about Ace. Soon, a group of engineers started fixing up the damage Luffy made to the vessel. “Now seeing Strawhat-ya, what are you going to do now, Rain-ya?” Law asked, turning his silver gray eyes towards me.

“I already told you, Trafalgar. I refuse to give Luffy any false hope. I can deal with this burden myself. I will gladly torture myself with hope; however I refuse to let my brother do the same.”

“What burden would this be, Rain?” asked Jinbei, looking at me curiously, as he stood, looking ready to go after my distraught little brother.

I gripped the hem of his haori, trying to make him stay with my pathetic grip. “Promise me, Jinbei… Promise me you will not breathe a word of what I am about to tell you to Luffy…” I begged, keeping my head bowed so he would not see the tears that brimmed my eyes. “Please.”

“You must have a good reason to not want to tell Luffy… I promise not to say anything.”

Slowly, I exhaled the breath that I had been holding. “Ace… Ace is alive; however, I have not gotten word of his awakening, so I do not want Luffy to get his hopes up, just in case he never wakes up… It is best we keep this bit of news silent, anyways, just so that if, _when_ , Ace recovers he will not have the Government breathing down his neck until he is ready to face them.” I explained, releasing my hold on Jinbei.

“I understand. As much as it pains me to do so, I am happy to hear that Ace is alive, so I will not tell Luffy about this. Thank you, Rain, for entrusting me with this burden,” Jinbei agreed, and followed Luffy.

I ignored what the others were talking about, focusing instead at my lap, while Law studied Luffy’s hat. Suddenly explosions could be heard, alerting us to the destruction Luffy was causing. “You mention that my crew would not be able to handle Strawhat-ya in his current condition without something called ‘Haki’. Care to explain what that is, Rain-ya?” he spoke up, drawing me out of my thoughts.

“Haki is a power that most find out about in the New World, though high-ranking Marines have this power. It is one of the few ways to hurt Devil Fruit users, mainly Logia types, and is broken down into three types— two of which anyone can learn, while the last only select few are born with it. There is Observation Haki, Armament Haki, and lastly Conqueror’s Haki; also known as The King’s Haki or Emperor’s Haki. Conqueror’s Haki allows the few who have it to easily knock out anyone with a weak will. This is a Haki that both Luffy and I have, along with Ace, though I am the only one to know how to consciously use it. Observation Haki is as the name suggests, it allows you to observe those around you even at a great distance through their auras, and if mastered can let you see an opponent’s attack even before they make it. Lastly is Armament Haki, which can be used in two stages, and the main type of Haki one can use to harm Logia and certain Paramecia Devil Fruit users.” I began explaining listlessly.

“Observation and Armament Haki are the only ones that all living things can learn. You, personally, have shown signs of unknowingly using Observation Haki, such as when we first arrived easily moved your head to the side to prevent getting hit with the Kuja warrior’s arrow without even looking.”

“And it is possible to train such skills?” he inquired, looking up from Luffy’s hat.

“Yes, with certain training, much like my blindfold combat from earlier. That is my way of using my Observation Haki. Armament, in its first stage, is basically like an invisible armor and can be used with weapons to prevent them from chipping, such a swords, and deal even greater damage. Unlike seastone, you cannot use this Haki to nullify a person’s Devil Fruit, though it makes harming them much easier, mainly those with Logia or body-altering Paramecia types. The second stage of Armament is actually visible, and coats one’s body and hardens it,” I explain while demonstrating it by turning my arms black. “This can also be transferred to weapons, however if someone’s Haki overpowers their opponent’s own, then their attacks are rendered null-and-void.” I continued. “Such as if Marco the Phoenix’s Armament Haki is stronger than mine, then mine would be rendered useless. Another drawback is that you can ‘deplete’ this Haki if used for long periods of time, as it is proportionate to the amount of a spirit life force an individual possess.”

“So it is possible to cut someone if they are using this kind of Haki then?”

I nodded. “As long as your Haki, which can also be influenced by your willpower, is stronger than whomever you’re fighting, it should be possible to cut them down with your blade.”

“Mm… Interesting… Now, Rain-ya, is your mind cleared now?”

My eyes widen as I looked up, seeing Law smirking at me as he tilted his head to the side. Raising my hand, I covered my mouth as I began giggling. “Thank you. I honestly needed that.” I told him honestly, smiling slightly to show him that I meant it.

He merely waved it off, as if it was not a big deal. “I am curious, though, Rain-ya. What type of Devil Fruit do you possess? If I remember correctly, I should not have been able to draw your blood if you were a Logia type, though I have never heard of a Paramecia type being element based like yours.”

“There’s always an exception to that rule. Because air, oxygen in general really, is naturally everywhere, my body cannot turn into my element like a standard Logia user, and I have yet to master it enough to fly without the use of something, such as my glider or even the Solar Surfer **[1]** I made, so I’m stranded like everyone else is whilst in the Calm Belt, as traveling by glider is risky, because if my grip slackens, I’ll easily drown. Does that answer your question?”

Law nodded, though it seemed I said something that piqued his interest. “What is a Solar Surfer?”

“It’s a special board with a sail that I can combine with my Devil Fruit that lets me travel through the air or the sea. I figured out how to make it thanks to some shipwrights in Water 7, but also from the natives of Galaxy Way Archipelago. Actually, I am going to that place to next! It is one of the only islands in Paradise that has no contact with the World Government, as it is naturally protected by a giant tornado with the archipelago in the eye of it, and a shark Sea King prowls the harsher waters looking for prey, though Brutus doesn’t venture near the seafloor, so there’s only two paths to take to enter Galaxy Way. Either you fly over the storm and enter through the Eye, or you take the only path on the floor.”

“What’s so special about this place?”

“Oh, the islands that make up the archipelago are all named after planets and have their own unique seasons, while the main island that has the largest population is Sun Island located in the center, with Solar Flare city being their largest port town. It basically has a little of everything, and the storms play an even bigger role than just protecting Galaxy Way! A handful of people from each island are selected to go into the storm, looking for the rarest gems that only the Galaxy Way storm can produce. One of which is the highly sought after Galaxy Diamonds that can only be harvested if one flies into the tornado and pluck them from the raging winds. It’s actually a hobby I have when I visit, so I have a couple million Beri because of it, which makes it easier to buy supplies and everything.”

“Oh?” Law cocked an eyebrow in response.

“Mmhm!” I nodded, before pressing my palms against each other, a bit embarrassed about my request that I was going to ask. “Which sorta leads to what I’m about to ask as a favor… I know you are not obligated to do so, however if it honestly isn’t too much to ask, could you and your crew take me to Galaxy Way? That is where my crew took Ace, and I did say I would pay you back for the damage Luffy caused your submarine. I’m sure parts are not cheap for such a vessel, on top of all the supplies you used to treat Luffy and Jinbei.”

The pirate captain looked amused, acting as if he was seriously thinking about agreeing or denying my request, before shrugging his shoulders. “I’m sure my crew would find this archipelago fascinating, and it also has piqued my interest, mainly these Galaxy Diamonds. After all, One Piece is not going anywhere…”

“Thank you, Law!” I cheered, leaning forward and quickly hugging him tightly, before letting go so I could _finally_ open the gift Margaret gave me. It was a red with black leopard printed Kuja warrior outfit. I blinked, holding up the top, before dropping it and holding the bottoms. “Okay, the top is nice and all, but what the _Hell_ is this scrap of cloth for?! Is it a loin cloth?” I mused to myself, laughing as I placed everything into one of my many pockets on my coveralls.

Loud splashing was heard off the coast, drawing our attention as Law and I went to look. “… Take a look at that! It’s a gigantic Sea King!” Penguin pointed out, using a pair of binoculars to see.

“What’s going on?! Is it fighting with something?!” asked Shachi.

“It’s dead! Something just killed that thing…!”

“A monster of that size…?!”

“I couldn’t see what it was fighting…”

“This is one terrifying ocean…!”

“Oh? It seems we have a guest,” I giggled, taking note of who had swam to shore, while the pirates around me looked shocked.

“Dear me… Ah, I know you people… We met at the Sabaody Archipelago.” It was none other than a very wet Rayleigh, the Dark King and former-first mate of the Roger Pirates. “Well, you see… I ran into a nasty storm at sea. My boat sank, so I had to swim the rest of the way. My body doesn’t move the way it used to… I really am getting old.”

I scuffed, crossing my arms under my chest. “I hope I’m that lively when I hit your age, Old man,” I teased, making the old pirate chuckle.

“A storm?! There are no storms in the Calm Belt…! Which means… Your boat sank outside the Calm Belt, and you actually swam all the way?!” Penguin looked stunned. “Then… The one who was fighting with that Sea King… Was that you as well…?!”

Rayleigh just ignored him as he began redressing. “Mmm… Now then. I’m guessing that Luffy is somewhere to be found on this island?”

“As if you didn’t know that already.” I rolled my eyes.

At that moment, Jinbei came back with Luffy on his back. “Whaa?! Old man Rayleigh?!”

“Ah, yes, speak of the Devil and the Devil shall appear,” I joked, smiling at Luffy.

“Rain! What are you doing here?!” he asked, talking loudly like normal.

“Protecting your virtue, little brother…” I deadpanned, knowing it would go right over Luffy’s head.

As expected, Luffy did not seem to understand. “Shishishi, you talk weird, Sis!”

“You love me anyways, so it’s no big deal.”

“What a beautiful sibling relationship,” Rayleigh observed, grinning at us both as I went over and took Luffy’s hat from Law and placed it on my own head. “Luffy, it’s good to see you again.”

“What are you doing all the way out here? I was just about to head back out to Sabaody Archipelago by following the Vivre card! Where are the others?!” Luffy questioned.

“Well, I doubt they have all been reunited just yet… I left my own Vivre card with Shakkie. I could hardly move about freely otherwise, you see…” Rayleigh answered with a carefree grin.

I walked over and placed Luffy’s hat back on his head before going off with the Heart Pirates while he was not paying attention. “So, Rain-ya, is it safe to assume that you have an Eternal Pose to Galaxy Way?”

“Mmhm!” I nodded, digging in my pockets and pulled out the Eternal Pose to Galaxy Way… Specifically to Sun Island. “I also have the charts for the floor entrance in my bag.” I told him while handing the Pose over to Bepo. “You can keep that Pose, and the charts, for your Navigation duties, Bepo.”

“Thank you, that is kind of you, Rain.” The large white bear smiled happily.

“Ahh, it’s such a shame… after going all that way…” Penguin sighed wistfully, making me giggled softly.

“It would’ve been great to be able to actually go inside…! The Land of Women…!” Shachi added, blushing with Penguin.

“If only they were bears…,” commented Bepo as he fiddled with the Pose.

“You stay out of this!” both men snapped, not understanding their crewmate at all.

Law chuckled at their antics. “Still, I wonder what the Dark King’s up to… The ‘D’ will always bring a storm without fail… Heheh…”

I scrunched my eyebrows together, having heard that before. “My old man told me that when I was a kid,” I commented, rubbing the back of my neck. “I just thought he was referring to my Devil Fruit at the time… But I guess not.” I followed Law and the others into what appears to be a lounge-type area, if the plush leather sofas were anything to go by, with a window built into the floor so one can watch the marine life swim underneath. “Whoa… The view is great in here!” I sat by the edge of the window, watching the fish swimming along, as other members of the crew— that were currently off duty— sat around, while Law reclined back in his seat.

“So where are we going next, Captain?” one of the crewmembers that I have yet to be introduced to questioned, plopping down and crossing his legs while flipping through a medical tome.

“We’re going to an archipelago called Galaxy Way, apparently there are some interesting things to see, and it gives us a chance to properly restock.”

“If you can’t find what you’re looking for on Sun Island, the others that make up the archipelago will have it. Mars Island is actually the best for parts, so your engineers should check there first. However, the only island that will not have anything on it is Pluto. That island is mostly snow and rock, and pretty small compared to the others, so it’s mainly being used as a training and testing ground.”

“Sounds so nice!” Bepo sighed, walking in and sitting next to Law, his captain’s sword clutched in his paws. “It’d be nice to visit a winter island… Is there any female bears?”

“Sorry Bepo,” I patted his leg, “there isn’t any bears in Galaxy Way, however they have the best seafood!” The bear perked up at the mention of seafood, his stomach growling loudly. “Sounds like someone is hungry…”

“Sorry…” Bepo bowed his head, his ears wilting a bit as he tried to obscure his stomach from view.

“No need to be sorry. You did not really get to eat your fill while we were on Amazon Lily, due to them only bringing animals from the forest, such as wild boar, which you cannot really eat due to being a Mink. That must have been hard on you.” I got up and dusted off my coveralls. “Where’s the kitchen?”

“Why do you want to know where that is, Rain?” asked Bepo, looking up at me.

“One, my blood sugar is running a bit low so I’m a bit light headed. And two, I want to cook you all something as thanks.”

†††

Bepo gladly showed me to the kitchen after letting me collect my bag from the infirmary that I’ve been leaving it in, and pointed out where certain things were along the way, which I made sure to pay a great deal of attention to, before arriving at our destination. “So is there anything I should steer clear of while cooking dinner, Bepo? Besides the obvious?”

“Yes. Captain does not like bread, or umeboshi, so it is best to make dishes that do not require it. Though Captain is very fond of onigiri and grilled fish”

“Mm, Law’s lucky to have such a considerate first mate that remembers these things. With Ace, as long as it doesn’t eat him first, he’ll eat just about anything, while Luffy is obsessed with any kind of meat,” I chuckled, fondly remembering my little brothers’ eating habits. Bepo blushed faintly through his fur at the praise, while I started wandering around the large kitchen so as to get a feel of where everything is, and found the fruit. Humming, I took and apple and polished it before taking a bite, the juices coating my tongue and bringing my blood sugar back up.

Finishing it quickly, I tossed the core into the trash and washed my hands, and started working on the largest meal I have made since a little over four years ago. “That smells good…” the Mink sniffed loudly, followed by his stomach roaring in agreement.

“Glad you think so! I haven’t had to cook this much since I left home, to be honest.” I told Bepo, making a fruit salad to go with the fish, and quite a few plain onigiri with just the nori, molded into triangles. “I actually miss cooking like this, so I’m glad I can make something for all of you,” I smiled at the bear, having him help me with the plates and other things, and set up the dining room that connected to the kitchen.

There was about five rectangular tables, four of which had chairs on both of the long sides, while the only one going along the wall only had seats on the long side that is adjacent to the wall. If I had to hazard a guess, that would be where Law and his closest crewmates would be sitting. “Food’s ready!” Bepo called into one of the voicepipes, making my ears perk to attention as the sound of feet rushing closer to our location.

“Great, I’m hungry!”

“How can you be hungry?! You’re not the one assigned to the engine rooms!”

“Ralph, get off my foot, dammit!”

“Gordon’s just being a bitch like normal, so ignore him Donny,” pipped up Shachi as he elbowed his way through the crowd, ignoring Penguin’s shouts of pain from having his foot stepped on.

“Boys, boys, calm down~ Fighting like children isn’t all that attractive,” I commented, a shit eating grin plastered across my face, as they all seemed to calm down.

Apparently the majority, if not all of them, are perverts, because the moment they noticed me, all of their faces turned a bright pink color. “Rain~! Did you make all this food for us?” Penguin asked, falling over himself as he got to the front, doing a weird wiggle dance as he admired the food (and me, I think).

“Yup, as a way to thank you all for helping my brother, and going out of your way to take me back to my friends. So please enjoy!” Moreover, just like that, a sea of men in strange hats flooded the dining room, going to their respective seats and waited. The last to enter were Law and Jean Bart.

“Captain! Look at all this heavenly smelling food that Rain made!” gushed Shachi, as he and Penguin sat at the table going along the wall, sitting together at one of the ends.

“Guys, I’m sure someone could easily make something that’s a million times better than what I’ve made…” I commented, rubbing the back of my neck as I shrugged.

“But it isn’t every day we get to have a woman cook for us!” cried Penguin, joining his ginger haired friend.

“You guys are hopeless…” I muttered, finding them to be too much, as Law sat down next to Bepo, while Jean Bart to the seat at the other end of the table, leaving the space next to Law empty. Seeing as there was not any other spots opened, I shrugged and took the seat next to the captain. “Hope you like it, Captain Trafalgar,” I grinned, going for the fruit salad first for the natural sugars, before putting some fish and onigiri on my plate.

Law grabbed one of the rice balls, turning over in his hands— probably to see if I added any filling— before taking a bite. He seemed to like it, if his slightly bulging cheeks were anything to go by, as he ate more onigiri and grilled fish, seemingly content with it. Bepo, sitting on the other side of Law, had a growing stack of fish bones on his plate and looked pleased as can be to eat his fill once more. The rest of the crew were lively, as they talked about some of the places they have been, and the trouble they have caused since entering the Grand Line, while drinking alcohol as if it was water.

“So, Rain, what’s the archipelago like that we’re going to?” questioned Shachi as he leaned back, and popped a grape into his mouth.

I stopped eating and smiled. “It’s great. Everything you could ever need is easily found, and the system they have in place for visitors is very good. Like say if you originally landed on Neptune and got a room at one of the inns there, yet visit Saturn’s night life and need some place to crash, you just go to the sister inn of the one you checked into on Neptune. All of that information can be located on your keycard from your main inn, so no worries of having to check into multiple inns when traveling between islands. In addition, the best way to get to each island is by either the walkways or using the ferries. I suggest using the ferries if you intend on buying supplies in bulk.” I pointed out, taking a bite of a rice ball. “News travels fast on Galaxy Way, so it is in your best interest to not cause any serious problems, unless you happen to be drunk and in a bar; only then will they let it slide, but mostly all the natives are pretty chill anyways, so it’s hard to get on their bad side to begin with. You’ll probably get great deals on things, too, seeing as I’m with you guys.”

“The natives like you that much?” questioned Bepo as he rubbed his belly happily.

“Well, yeah. The whole archipelago is my territory, and with all the diamonds I harvest for their use and mine easily covers many expenses. Such as three Galaxy Diamonds would probably cover the cost of two or three more ships made like this one; however, that’s only after it has been cut and polished, though.”

“How’d you figure that out?” Penguin jumped in, now reclining back as he used a toothpick to clean his teeth.

“Two Galaxy Diamonds cover the cost of Adam, and that’d give you enough wood for a brig sloop. Five Galaxy Diamonds gave us enough Adam Wood to build a ship the size of Shanks’ Red Force, if not a bit bigger…” I explained, trying to calculate the cost in my head. “Oscar is better at explaining than I am, mainly because she’s our treasurer.” I popped in more fruits into my mouth and ate them. “Oscar knows more about how much jewels, gold, and silver costs in Berries, as she came from a well-known family of jewelers in the New World.” I then began digging through the pockets of my coveralls. “Actually, I might have a small Galaxy Diamond on me,” I said, patting down my legs and thighs, because I sewn in lots of little secret pockets to hide things in— mostly my gummies, but I digress.

Finally finding the jewel, I set it down next to Law’s plate. The diamond is roughly the size of my thumb, which is pretty small for a Galaxy Diamond, and it had— ironically, given my present company— had a heart cut. Law picked it up and began observing the multicolored gem. Much like the name suggested, the diamond looked like a galaxy had been trapped inside of it, as the colors of it displayed as clear as day, being blue, black, purple and pink, while little white flecks simulated the stars. “How much is one this size worth, Rain-ya?”

“I think about 50 to 100 million? It is smaller than average, so the price would be lower than the normal 142 million,” I explained, popping another grape inside my mouth.

“And the average size is what?”

“Roughly the size of a toddler’s fist. The largest one I have seen is probably the size of Bepo’s head, and is kept in a secured glass case in a Museum on Sun Island. That one, according to Oscar, is worth close to 2.8 billion Berries.”

That caused a few people to either do a spit take, or start choking on their drinks/food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] - If any of you have ever watched Disney's Treasure Planet and remember Jim Hawkins board, this is exactly what Rain's looks like/works like. Only difference is that hers uses air, so there is no flames at all.


	5. The Fateful Meeting

Ace glared down at the two newbies from atop of a large buffalo. One was a runt of a boy wearing a straw hat, while the other was a girl much taller than himself, wearing a frilly white and blue dress. _“Rain!”_ the runt whined, tugging on the girl’s skirt to get her attention.

She turned, allowing Ace to see her face. It surprised him greatly when he saw the scar going over her left eye, looking a bit more ragged than the runt’s smaller scar that had been placed under his left eye. “What is it, Luffy?”

“You look weird in a dress, Sis.”

The runt had a good point. Paired with that scar on her face, it really made the expensive looking dress seem vastly out of place on her. The 10 year old’s eyes widen as the girl carelessly rose her skirt, only to show off a pair of knee length shorts. Ace’s face felt really hot all of a sudden, but he shooked his head quickly to rid himself of the heat blossoming across his freckled cheeks.

“Don’t worry, once stupid Gramps is gone, I’m gonna shred the dress and wear my bib overalls I have underneath.” The girl explained, patting the boy on the head. “Why don’t you look around for a bit? I’m sure there’s something interesting around here…”

The runt eyes her suspiciously, his eyes narrowed. “How do you know, Rain?”

“Have I ever been wrong before, Luffy?”

“… No…” he admitted, before wandering around. The girl then dropped her skirt, a faint smile tugging at her lips, as she watched the runt. Ace hated it. No one has ever looked at _him_ with such a soft expression of genuine care. Moreover, he could hear the way Dadan and the others spoke of him, making Ace grind his teeth in irritation as he build up saliva in his mouth. Soon the runt wandered into range, and Ace did not hesitate to let the spitwad fly, hitting the kid right in the face. “Geeh! It’s spit! That’s disgusting!” the runt cried, whipping the mucus/saliva mixture from his face. “Hey! Who’re you!?”

“Oh, Ace!” cried Garp, finally noticing him sitting atop of his kill. Fresh blood ran down the metal pipe he held in his right hand, glowering down at the group. “That’s Ace. He’s three years older than you, Luffy. Which makes him three years younger than you, Rain!” Garp slapped the back of the runt’s head, while reaching out his other hand to try and ruffle the girl’s hair, only for her to tilt her head to the side and dodge, and delivered a solid punch into the older Marine’s side with her right fist. Garp winced, yet still smiled brightly. “You’ll be living together from now on, so you better get along!”

After the introductions, Garp left, leaving the newbies to enter the cabin. Soon, Ace’s kill had been cut up and cleaned, then cooked as everyone sat down around the pot in the main room. The runt sat on a pillow between Dadan and one of the other bandits, while his sister took the empty pillow next to Ace. He casted her a sideways glance as he tore into the meat. She merely smiled back at him, amusement dancing in her deep brown eyes. “I hate mountain bandits!” the runt declared, sticking his tongue out at Dadan.

“Luffy…” the girl began, turning to look at the runt. Ace silently watched them, eating another hunk of meat.

“Shut it, you damn brat! Looking after you is a pain in the ass for us too! If you don’t wanna be here, that’s fine by me! Get out of here and go starve to death!” shouted Dadan, glaring down at the boy.

“Then you’ll have to deal the Gramps when he does his checkups. I doubt you’d be able to talk your way out of that if Luffy is gone.” The girl pointed out smoothly, yanking her dress over her head and quickly discarding it, showing that she wore simple blue jean bib overall shorts paired with a red short sleeved shirt. Dadan’s face turned white at the thought.

“I’m still hungry! I want some meat!” the runt complained, eyeing Ace’s pile of meat.

“This meat is all from a buffalo that Ace caught! He puts a portion on the table, and we do too! Times are tough for bandits right now. So starting tomorrow, you’ll both be working to death, too! Cleaning, laundry, shoe shining and polishing weapons! Plus, theft, looting, swindling, and killing! And listen! Don’t mention a word of this to Garp!”

“Dishes will be broken, shoes destroyed, laundry nothing but threads, and weapons blunted if you make Luffy do any of that. He’s hopeless when it comes to housework,” the girl said, slowly getting to her feet and giving the runt her portion, while pulling out a lollipop from her chest pocket.

Dadan continued on, ignoring the girl. “Once a day, you’ll get one bowl of rice! And one cup of water! That’s all we’ll give you! If you want anything else, you’ll have to get it yourself! And don’t grow anything without permission!”

“Got it.” Both of the newbies chirped, the oldest looking amused as Dadan fell over.

“What the Hell?! This is where you start crying!”

“Grandpa used to throw us into the jungle. There’s a bunch of stuff we can eat in the forest, like earthworms and frogs and mushrooms. We’re going to be pirates someday! I’ve got to be able to do this much!” the runt declared, looking excited as he talked about it.

Ace finished and quickly left, only to be followed by the runt. The girl quickly followed too, making Ace grit his teeth once more in frustration. Both of them seem to get under his skin easily, _especially_ that girl with her soft brown eyes. The way she gazed at her brother made Ace want to cry, in addition to punching her lights out! It just was not fair! Yet Ace refused to admit he is jealous of some damn runt!

“Hey! I’m Luffy! I’m not angry about you spitting on me anymore!” speak of the Devil and he shall appear. “It’s not a big deal, so let’s be friends! Where are you going?” as he spoke, Ace broke a tree in half and sent it rolling down towards the runt and his older sister. The small boy screamed loudly, while his sister calmly hopped over it, a bark of a laugh escaping from her as it crashed at the base of the hill.

No matter what Ace did, the still followed him, though only the girl seem to fare well as her brother fumbled around. They eventually were separated at the rope bridge; with the girl making it safely back up, while the runt fell down. “Luffy! Remember to stay away from colorful frogs and mushrooms! Also, remember the saying ‘red touches yellow, kill a fellow. Red touches black, friend of Jack’!” she shouted down into the darkness. Ace cocked an eyebrow, storing that saying away, as he watched her use the boards as a ladder as she climbed to safety.

†††

It was late when Ace returned to the cabin.

“Ace… Did you come back alone?”

Silence.

“Wasn’t Luffy with you?”

“Dunno.” He replied gruffly to the bandits, and made his way farther inside.

“It’s pretty bad that we lost him on the first day, Boss!”

“I don’t care! If he dies, he dies!” Dadan shouted, already drinking heavily. “We’ve already given up on looking after Ace! If he really died, then we’ll just tell Garp it was an accident. This is what they mean when they say bad weeds grow fastest!” the bandit proclaimed loudly, unknowingly upsetting Ace as he eavesdropped on the conversation. “He’s the son of a demon, you know?! If the Government ever found out, what do you think would happen to us?!”

Ace jumped, startled as he heard the sound of glass breaking. Peeking through the gap, his nickel gray eyes zeroed in on the girl. She had her head bowed, bangs casting an eerie shadow over her eyes as her fist shook, the knuckles already turning a stark white color compared to her sun kissed skin. “Shut up…”

“What was that, you brat?!” shouted Dadan, getting herself worked up after getting over the shock of having a bowl barely missing her face.

“I said shut up, you old hag! What right do you have to decide Ace is a bad weed?! Of course, he is going to be bad with how you treat him! He is still a _kid_ for crying aloud! He learns from watching you people, and if you treat him like a monster, he’ll act like one!” she shouted, glaring heatedly at the bandits. “Fuck the Government! Most of them are corrupt liars anyways! The moment someone does something the Government doesn’t like, they are instantly labeled a criminal!” With each exclamation did she take a step closer to the lone female bandit— Dadan was speechless as the teenage girl got in her face; gripping the collar of her blouse tightly. “The next time I hear you talk shit about Ace, _I will make you eat your teeth_ …”

Gripping his shirt over his heart, Ace felt his heart stutter as emotions flood his being, making him feel light headed. Soon his eyes began stinging, forcing him to use his fists to try to elevate the sensation, only to feel moisture instead. _‘Am I… Crying?’_ he wondered, looking down at his wet hands.

“Here.” Ace jumped, just as a piece of blindingly white fabric— _‘Just like a cloud,’_ the boy noted— was shoved unceremoniously into his hands. “You got dust in your eyes, right? Use that to get it out.” It was the girl, he realized, and the fabric— a perfect square— came from her dress she showed up in, if the silky texture is anything to go by. “Hope you have sweet dreams, Ace.”

†††

A week passed by quickly, and each day _she_ went out of her way to do random things for him, be it making his bed, making sure he had clean clothes, mending any tears they had, making sure the first aid kit had been fully stocked for any wounds he would get, and even giving him a good portion of her kills. Ace was unsure of what to make of her actions, and decided not to comment and merely went on with his daily business.

“Boss! Boss Dadan!” a bandit shouted late that night, drawing attention to something. “Luffy came back!”

_‘So the runt managed to survive,’_ Ace mused to himself, peeking open an eye open.

“He was… still alive?! Where the Hell did you go?!” demanded Dadan. “Where were you, and what were you doing?”

“I was chased by wolves at the bottom of the valley,” replied the runt, sounding worn out.

“The valley floor?! Why were you down there?!”

“Just go to sleep already!”

“Will you shut it! People are trying to sleep!” the girl seethed, catching her brother. Dadan gulped audibly as the girl then slammed the door shut.

“I’m sleepy, Rain… Can’t we fix out my wounds tomorrow?” the runt questioned, rubbing at his drooping eyes.

She sat him down on her bed, and got out the first aid kit. “Sorry Luffy, but we gotta treat them; otherwise they won’t heal right and get infected. If it gets infected, you will get sick, and then you wouldn’t be able to keep your word to Shanks,” she softly scolded the runt and began disinfecting the cuts and scrapes before putting bandages on them. “I’ll patch up your clothes in the morning, so get some sleep, okay?”

“Okay… Night, Sis.”

“Night, Luffy, hope you have sweet dreams.” Soon, the runt passed out and began snoring. “Sweet dreams to you, too, Ace.”

†††

“Where are you going today, Ace?!” the runt questioned the next day as Ace made his exit. “Take me too! Let’s be friends!”

The freckled boy stayed silent, yet his eyes betrayed just how curious the brat made him. _‘Why do you even bother after what I put you through?’_ he wondered, dashing away quickly to avoid the runt just as the girl finally appeared. Like she said last night, she had patched up the runt’s clothes and cleaned them, along with Ace’s own laundry, and started hanging them up to dry in the breeze.

“ **Wait!** I’m not losing you today!” shouted the runt, chasing after Ace.

“Boss! He’s going after Ace again!”

**“Hey, Luffy! You’ve got chores to do!”** Dadan growled out, looking annoyed at the kid. “That damn kid won’t listen to a word I say!”

†††

This trend continued for the next three months. The runt would follow after Ace, only to be left in the dust, while the girl— she only followed every other day— would follow for a couple hundred yards more than the runt before turning around, leaving Ace even more confused. The girl could easily keep up with him, and possibly overtake him, yet she hardly bothered all that much as she simply shouted that his clothes had been fixed and/or cleaned, before leaving him to do as he wished.

“Sabo! Sabo, are you here?!” Ace shouted up one of the trees, a large sack sitting by his feet.

“Oh… Ace.” A blond boy peered down from the branch he sat on, a large grin spreading across his face.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“You sure are. I already did a job in town,” commented Sabo cheekily.

“I see. Well, so did I!” Ace gestured to the sack, grabbing it a climbing up towards the blond boy. A smile worked its way across his freckled face as he tossed the sack towards Sabo, feeling a bit smug as the top hat wearing boy counted the money.

“Uwah! Wow! This is even better than mine! How did you get this much money?!” Sabo questioned loudly, counting all the Berries.

“Got it near the gates,” Ace explained happily. “I stole it from some punks! Maybe they were carrying it for some merchant ships.”

“Da~amn, you beat me today too.” Chuckled Sabo good-naturedly.

Ace merely shrugged in response. “Does it really matter? We’re going to use it to buy a pirate ship someday. It’s already been five years since we started saving. It’s been tough going.”

Sabo chuckled, placing the cover back over their stash. “Yeah, I wonder how much it takes to buy a pirate ship…”

“Dunno… Ten million, or a hundred million? We’ve still got a long way to go.” Suddenly Ace’s ears perked up, catching the sound of rustling leaves. “Shut it, quick. Someone might see it…,” he muttered, turning to look at his friend.

“A pirate ship?! Are you guys gonna be pirates?!” it was that damned runt! “So am I!” Ace’s heart began to race as adrenaline coursed through his being. Did _she_ follow today, too?! “Ace, you come out here every day?”

“Shut it.” The boy bit out as he and Sabo quickly tied him to a tree’s trunk.

“Is this that Luffy guy you told me about?” asked Sabo, looking a bit panicked himself at the boy’s sudden appearance. “Where do you think his sister is?”

Ace shrugged, casing the area just in case the aforementioned teenager made an appearance. “So you finally followed me all the way out here? I took paths that were hardly used, too…”

“Are you Ace’s friend?” the runt asked Sabo, completely disregarding his situation. “Be my friend too!”

“Shut it.”

“This is why I told you to stay here too! That mountain training you do really backfired! What do we do?” Sabo scolded his friend.

“He found out about our secret… If we leave him alone, he’ll tell someone…” Ace began, thinking of _that_ girl. “Let’s kill him.”

“Yeah, let’s do it.” Sabo agreed, causing the runt to start shouting like crazy. “Shut up, you idiot!” the blond boy seethed, slamming his mouth closed in hopes of drowning out the sound.

“Sabo! Kill him already!”

“What’re you talking about? You do it!”

“I’ve never killed anyone before!”

“Neither have I! I don’t know how to do it!”

“I heard voices from the forest! Sounds like kids…” the boys stiffen, and then turned around to try to untie the runt. “Those kids, Ace and Sabo, are pretty famous around here. It was definitely Ace that stole your money!”

“Yes… It’s pathetic, but I was careless,” one of the people Ace beaten up stated to the larger fellow.

“I’m amazed this kid was brave enough to go after our pirate crew’s money! If Captain Bluejam hears about this… We’re both dead.”

_‘Crap, that guy was with Bluejam? This is bad, we stole from him!’_ Ace cursed internally at his fuck up. _‘He’s got a real sword! That’s one of the subordinates, Porchemy. He’s crazy, you know?!’_

“He scalps his defeated opponents while they’re still alive!” Sabo whispered harshly, a cold sweat breaking over his skin. “Huh?” he turned, taking notice of the empty spot next to him. “Where is he?”

“Lemme go! You bastard!” the runt screamed as Porchemy grabbed him. “Help me, Ace! Rain!”

Ace swore softly. “That idiot said my name!”

“Did you just say Ace?” asked Porchemy. “You know… Ace?”

“He’s my friend! Ah… he was about to kill me, though…” the runt commented, wiggling around in the man’s grip.

“He just won’t shut up…”

“Lemme ask you something. Today, Ace… Stole some of our money and ran… You know where it is?” the large pirate questioned the runt.

“This is bad… They’re gonna take all our treasure!” Sabo commented.

“That idiot better not say anything!”

“I… I dunno.”

Porchemy began laughing, walking away with the runt still caught in his grasp. “All right, if you don’t know, you don’t know… We’ll jog your memory. Don’t you worry about it!”

“What? Hey! Lemme go! Where are you taking me?! Dammit!”

†††

“Hurry, hurry! If Porchemy and the other come here, it’s all over!” Sabo shouted, working alongside Ace to find another place to hide their treasure.

“We’ve got to move the treasure! It’s just a matter of time until Luffy cracks!” Ace agreed.

“If they find us, they won’t just take back what we stole. They’ll take all the treasure we’ve collected these past five years!”

Night quickly fell, and Ace stood proudly over the new hiding spot for their treasure. “All right, we’re done! We moved all our treasure!”

“Ace!” Sabo shouted from the ground, panting heavily from the run.

“Sabo! What happened? Have they come by our hiding place yet?!”

“Haa… Haa… No, they haven’t! They have no idea! Luffy… Haa… **Hasn’t said anything!** ” Sabo panted harshly, making Ace freeze.

“Oi, where’s Luffy, Ace?” a soft voice asked from a few branches above the freckled boy, causing him to jump and spin around, peering up through the leaves to see who it is.

His heart _dropped_ as he spotted the girl casually sitting on the branch, her feet swinging as she stared down at them both. Her soft brown eyes held a knowing glint, causing Ace to question just how much she could have possibly know when she _wasn’t even there_! “R-Rain!”

“Where’s Luffy, Ace?” she questioned again, dropping down to his branch.

“Y-You’re Luffy’s sister, right?” Sabo asked, swallowing thickly, drawing her gaze away from the freckled boy.

It unsettled Ace. That blank face of hers made his palms sweat and heart tremble, not used to seeing the older girl without a smile. “Sabo, right? Tell me, where’s my baby brother?”

“He’s being held captive by Porchemy of the Bluejam Pirates!” Sabo confessed, his own palms sweating.

She hummed in understanding, stooping down on the branch while keeping eye contact with the blond. “There is something you should know about my brother. He might be a hopeless idiot, and honest to a fault, however when it comes to people he thinks of as either family or a friend, he will do whatever it takes to keep them safe, even refusing to tell where your treasure is to save his own skin.” Jumping down, she swiped the pipe from Sabo’s sweaty hands, twirling it a few times before resting it against her shoulder. “I’ll be off, then.”

“You don’t even know where Porchemy is even keeping him!” Ace shouted in frustration, his fist trembling by his sides.

Rain stopped and peered over her shoulder at him, a sinister grin spread across her pretty face. “Doesn’t matter. I always know where my brother is, no matter where he is on this island,” she commented easily and began walking down the path that Sabo came from. “I even knew where you were going all this time, Ace, even without having to follow you all the way.” She then ran away, becoming a little black dot as the distance between them grew.

“Dammit!” Ace shouted, punching the tree trunk while screwing his eyes shut. “We can’t just leave him, Sabo! Not after refusing to sell us out!” he commented, casting a glance down at his friend. Sabo nodded, and scaled the tree to retrieve his backup pipe. “Let’s go!”

It had taken the boys a while; however, they finally caught up to Rain, her keeping the lead, and being the first to bust a large hole in the wall. “Stop it!” both boys shouted, hitting the pirates with their pipes.

“It’s them, Porchemy! They’re the ones who stole our money! Dammit!”

“A-Ace! Rain!” Luffy cried, dangling like a punching bag from one of the beams. Ace cringe at the sight of the wounds the boy collected by keeping their secret.

Rain quickly made her way over to Luffy, untying him and checking over his body. The runt sobbed loudly in her arms, his blood staining her clothes. “Just hold tight, Luffy…” she softly spoke, setting him down on the ground.

“It’ll be quick since you came to us!” Porchemy shouted, catching Ace by the neck. “Your buddy’s tight lips were giving us problems!”

“Sabo!”

The blond attacked the pirate from behind with his pipe, making the man release Ace. Falling to his knees, Ace gasped, rubbing at his sore throat as he greedily sucked in air. Sabo quickly picked up Luffy, turning his head to look at his angered friend and the deathly silent girl. “Let’s get out of here, Ace!”

“You go on ahead!” Ace ordered, stunning Sabo. “If I face a guy, I won’t run away!”

“Don’t be stupid,” Rain said, still speaking softly as she nudged Ace back towards Sabo. “You have a more important job of making sure Luffy gets out of here safely.” Her dark brown eyes clashed with his nickel colored ones as she stared him down. “You owe him that much, don’t you?” Her words made Ace stop and glance over at the limp body of the runt. He owed the kid much more than she implied, he realized, and acquiesced the fight to the girl as he moved back to guard their exit.

“And just what is a little girl going to do?” Porchemy sneered.

Rain allowed her grip to slacken enough that the pipe dragged across the ground as she advanced forward, that sinister grin still in place as she looked up at Porchemy through her bangs. “You hurt someone precious to me, and not only that, you threatened another one of my precious people!” she barked out, grip tightening around the pipe as she got within striking distance of the pirate. _“This little girl is going to make you wish you were never born, you filthy piece of shit…”_

A chill ran down Ace’s back as a breeze passed through the room, seeming to surround Rain as her aura seemed to grow even heavier, to the point that most of the weaker pirates passed out as their mouths began foaming. It shocked Ace as he witnessed Porchemy flinched away from the teenage girl, just before the man steeled his nerves. **“If I lost to a kid… I’d quit being a pirate!”** he declared, only to start choking as the pipe made contact with his large throat.

“That’s for strangling Ace, bastard!” Rain shouted, her face twisted into something fierce, slamming the butt of the pipe into his robust stomach, the pipe slipping a bit as she then held it like a bat. Swinging the metal object, it connected with the side of his head, knocking the pirate to the ground. “That’s for underestimating me…” Both Ace and Sabo watched, completely in awe at her skill. **“Wind Blade…”** Ace strained his ears to hear Rain, as the wind seemed to pick up once more, throwing the pirates through the walls as she viciously attacked Porchemy. Squinting his eyes, Ace noticed that cut began appearing on the pirate’s person with each of Rain’s strikes.

_‘There’s no way a pipe could create those! They look like they were made from a blade!’_ Ace noted, hearing the sound of metal against metal ring out. Some of the still conscious pirates took the chance and attacked Sabo, Ace and Luffy, drawing the two older boys’ attention away from the main fight to defend themselves. This resulted in them acquiring their own battle wounds.

**“Stand down,”** came Rain’s soft command, as Ace smack one of the pirates across the face with his pipe. The pirates stilled, their gaze fixed on the young teenager who sat atop of a bloody Porchemy. **“Drop everything and scram…”** Rain ordered, her eyes wild as she glared at the much older men. They dropped their weapons and ran away as fast possible as she slowly got up to her feet, showing fewer signs of battle than the boys did. Walking over, Rain lifted a hand towards Ace, making the boy flinch at the possibility of being hit, only for her to rest her hand on top of his wavy black hair and mussed it up even more so than it originally was. “You did great, Ace.” At the compliment, he gazed up at her through his bangs, catching sight of her normal smile and soft brown eyes. “Thank you for letting me take care of Porchemy by myself.” She ruffled his hair once more before moving over and doing the same to Sabo. The poor boy blushed hotly under her praise, his chin tucked against his chest while the brim of his hat shaded his reddening face.

“Rain!” cried Luffy as the girl stooped down to his height.

She patted the top of his head, looking amused as he continued to blubber loudly. “There, there… You did well, too, Luffy. I’m sure Shanks would be proud of you, because I know I sure am.” That got the boy to quiet down enough to climb on her back, letting Rain use the pipe to support his butt and thighs as he circled his shaking arms around her neck.

The motion caught Ace’s eye, drawing his gaze towards the thing she wore around her neck. An old looking pocket watch acted as a makeshift necklace, the dimming light making it twinkle as it rested against her chest. “C’mon, before they come back with reinforcements,” Sabo nudged Ace, making the boy stumble a few steps forward.

“Hey, watch it!” the boy glowered, yet proceeded to follow the siblings. Once a safe enough distance from the Gray Terminal, Rain sat Luffy down and began looking around, plucking a few plants up, and ground them into paste using a small rock on a flat boulder. Ran smeared the paste onto Luffy’s cuts and bruises as Sabo and Ace watched in awe, and then began bandaging them with the rolls she pulled out of her pockets.

“There, all done!” she cheered happily, patting a sniffing Luffy on the head. “Your turn, Ace,” she said, gesturing to the spot next to the smaller boy. The freckled boy stiffly sat down, and watched her from the corner of his nickel gray eyes as she gently applied the paste to his wounds before bandaging him all up, and then repeated the process with Sabo.

After being patched up, Ace found a place to sit and started looking over the pipe Rain used, trying to figure out how she did what she did as Luffy began bawling. “That’s a bad habit, Ace! You’ve got to run when you’re facing a real pirate! Why do you have such a death wish?!” Sabo scolded him harshly as the girl watched them both. “Haa… After that, Bluejam’s crew won’t leave us alone now. They’ll come after us!”

“I was so scared… I thought I was gonna die…” sobbed Luffy quite loudly.

**_“Shut up! How long are you gonna cry?! I hate weaklings and crybabies! You piss me off!”_** Ace shouted hotly, only to see the boy’s face pinch as if he swallowed a lemon.

“Thanks…” shortly after the water works began again. “Thanks… For saving… Me… Uuhh…”

**_“Why you…?!”_ **

“Hey! He’s just saying thanks!” Sabo stated, trying to calm down the raging boy.

“Why didn’t you say anything?! Those guys don’t care about killing women and children!”

“If I talked, you wouldn’t be my friend…!”

“Even if I don’t, it’s better than dying, wouldn’t it?! Why do you want to be my friend so badly?! After what I did to you, why are you still following me around?!”

That struck a nerve in Luffy as he began hollering, hoping to get his feelings across to the freckled face boy. “Because I don’t have anyone else! I can’t go back to Foosha Village… And I hate bandits! If I didn’t follow you, I would be alone… It’s worse to be alone than to be hurt!”

Ace pointed at the calm girl. “What about your sister?! You have her, don’t you?!”

“I won’t always be around. Moreover, with such a big age gap between Luffy and I, I will be the first to leave this island in just four years. Luffy will be eleven and all alone except for you, so that’s why he wants to be your friend,” she explained, a sad smile gracing her features.

Ace flinched. “Your parents…”

“Other than Gramps, they’re gone.” Luffy stated simply while his sister rubbed the back of her neck.

“If I’m around, would it be better…?” he questioned, not noticing the way the older girl’s gaze focused solely on him. “And if I were gone, would it be worse…?”

The strawhat boy nodded his head. “Yeah.”

“Do you want me to live?”

That piqued Rain’s interest, while Luffy looked a bit gobbed smacked at the question. “?! **Of course**!”

“I see… But I hate softies like you.”

**“I’m not soft! I’m strong!”**

“He’s stretchy!” chimed in his sister unhelpfully.

“Strong? How are you strong? You’re a man, but you’re still crying!” Ace pointed out with a huff.

“Have you been punched by spikes before?! I’m only seven! When I’m ten like you, I’ll be stronger and I won’t cry!”

Both dark haired boys got into each other’s faces as they began shouting back and forth, and literally started bumping heads together. “I wouldn’t have cried when I was seven! Idiot! Don’t compare us!”

“I’m gonna be stronger than anybody! I promised Shanks that I’m gonna be a great pirate!”

“You?” scuffed Ace as he crossed his arms and glowered at the younger boy. “A pirate?!”

Sabo finally pipped up. “Hey, I’ve actually got a problem. I’ve been living in this dump… But after today, those pirates will definitely come after us.”

†††

**“What the Hell is this?! Ace! Luffy! Rain! Who’s that?! Why is there another brat here?!”** shouted Dadan the moment they entered the bandit’s cabin. Rain picked at her ears while the two boys picked their noses.

“Yo! Dadan, right? I’m Sabo.” The blond shook the large woman’s hand joyfully.

“Sabo?! I know that name… I’ve heard you’re a no-good kid, too!”

“Is that so… I heard that you were a no-god old hag, too!” Sabo replied cheerfully.

“That was uncalled for!” Dadan screamed, chasing the boys and the lone girl out of the cabin. “You kids! We’re housing you, so you better work!” she shouted as she stood at the front entrance.

“Luffy! We’re gonna leave you behind if you can’t keep up!” taunted Ace, running neck-and-neck with a giggling Rain.

“I’m coming!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AmericanNidiot: Probably my favorite chapter to write, mainly because in my mind, Ace is horribly jealous of Luffy in the beginning, even in canon. Cause here's Ace, who knew he is Roger's son, and having to deal with people hating his very existence without knowing him personally, and basically living in a isolated world full of hatred and violence, and reacted in the manner of how people thought he should be. Then you have Luffy, who does not know that he is the son of the most wanted man in the world, nor that his grandpa was the man who "captured" Gol D. Roger and is a Vice Admiral (which shows how much Luffy did not care about his grandpa's work), and grew up well taken care for by everyone in Foosha Village (mainly Makino), and actually meeting someone insanely strong that showed Luffy what it really means to be a pirate. Luffy had a much more positive upbringing and environment than Ace, which shows how badly Garp plans things. Ace probably would have turned out much better if he had been raised in Foosha along side Luffy, just completely detached from the negativity stemmed from people talking shit about something they know nothing about. Honestly, Ace probably would not have developed that same nasty habit of Roger's whole "If I face someone, I will fight them even if I die" and "You insult someone I care about, so I'm gonna fight you to the death" (which is probably why Shanks is all like "Words are meaningless if there is nothing to back it up. After all, actions speak louder than words"). But I'm rambling!


	6. Stories Inked into Flesh

Tora examined the young man that she had been taking care of since the war, making sure the equipment still functioned properly as she changed his IV with a new one. It pleased the hybrid doctor that he is recuperating just fine, and the scars on his freckled and tattooed back were healing just fine as well, with no signs of possible infection. However, the burns he sustained at the hands of Admiral Akainu had marred the mark of Whitebeard just enough to be upsetting to her future captain once he awoke, though it was still pretty obvious just what pirate mark had been inked into his broad back.

Her tail swished behind her as she worked, the round tipped tiger ears swiveling each way to pick up any noise that told her of the young man’s condition. Tora thanked the heavens that Commander Rain had the forethought of having Seastone in storage, as she eyed the simple looking bracelet that encircled the young man’s right wrist— _‘after all, it would not due to have him set the special suite on fire during recovery,’_ Tora mused to herself.

Carefully, as to not nick his tanned flesh with her sharp claws, Tora brushed the wavy raven strands from her captain’s face as to better observe him. The tiger-woman felt her heart thud loudly in her chest as her green eyes took in his physical appearance. Ace’s face was covered in freckles, the ones on his cheeks were more obvious, and his shoulders and upper chest also had loads of obvious freckles that steadily got lighter the farther down they went.

Tora snapped her eyes back to his face, her own turning cherry as her tail fluffed up from embarrassment as she mentally made a note to ask one of the men on the crew to change his clothes, as his pants hung low on his hips to the point that the hybrid noticed the black trail of hair that led under the band to his package that remained hidden in his pants. Ace was an unknown to Tora, and he happened to fit the tiger-woman’s aesthetics to a perfect T, which made her uncomfortable with tending to such intimate needs. Given time, she was sure that it would not be an issue in the long run, as she got used to her new captain and get to know him better than what she has already.

†††

I walked out of the shower in just a pair of red shorts and a white singlet, using the towel to dry my hair as I plopped down on the black leather sofa in the office/bedroom, while Law closed his book and set it on the stand next to the sofa. “Thank you for letting me use your shower, Law.”

Law did not reply, as his gaze focused on the space between my scapula. “That’s an interesting tattoo… Does it have a meaning behind it?” he questioned, his thumb lightly grazing over the center card. The tattoo was relatively small compared to what most people would get on their backs, and took the form of the ace card of each suit fanned out as if someone was holding them. From left to right it went spade, club, heart, and lastly diamond. However, each card was unique. The ace of spades had Ace’s original Jolly Roger both on the spade and in the center of the card, while the ace of clubs was a bit simpler in design. On top of the clubs and in the center did a pair of bones cross out a blue S. The heart card had a realistic looking skull that wore a red bandana like mine, with a scar going over its left eyes socket, while a metal pipe and a nodachi (that looked like Shikaku) were crossed in an X behind the skull, while the diamond had Luffy’s Jolly Roger on it. Under each card had our birthdays (Spade; 01/01, Clubs; 03/20, Heart; 07/07, Diamond; 05/05) printed.

“It represents my brothers and me. I decided to use the ace playing card for us because we all originally wanted to be the captain of our own crew,” I chuckled softly, letting the towel hang around my neck. “The spade obviously stands for Ace, while Luffy’s the diamond because he’s a bit rough around the edges, yet with enough polish he can be grand.”

“And what of the ace of clubs? You and Strawhat-ya only have Fire Fist-ya as a brother, right?” he questioned as he traced the ace of clubs, causing a shiver to run down my spine from the sensation of his fingers on my skin. They were just so _warm_ , the calloused digits smooth and nails blunt and rounded as they skimmed over my inked flesh. It boggled my mind that such graceful and well-taken care of hands belonged to a pirate doctor _and_ captain.

My own hands were vastly smaller than Law’s was; with clear signs of the abuse, I put them through as a kid/teenager, with small scars littering them as a reminder of my life on Dawn Island. I shook my head to rid it of these random thoughts and focused on remembering what the pirate captain had asked me. “We had another brother— a former noble if you can believe that! — but he died 10 years ago as he tried escaping his wretched family.” I frowned as I remembered that day so vividly. “His ship crossed paths with a World Noble’s, and the fucker shot at a _child_ and killed him in cold blood because the _Government_ protects such scum,” I spat, nose scrunched up in distaste while my lips curled into a sneer.

Law’s warm hand covered my own as he dislodged my nails from my knees. I blinked, looking down to see my nails tipped red as ten small puncture wounds decorated each of my knees, and blood welled up to the surface of each puncture hole and slid down my legs. “Seems like the Government enjoys taking precious people away from you,” Law commented in a sardonic tone.

The Surgeon of Death had an air of cynicism around him as he got up and pulled out a small first aid kit from one of the drawers of his desk. It reminded me a bit of my own father, and his suspicion and distrust of nearly everything that dealt with the Government. “Guess we have something in common then, huh?” I said, staring down at my hands as I chuckled mirthlessly.

“What makes you say that?” he asked, his voice low and harsh with a silent promise of pain if I say the wrong thing.

I shrugged carelessly as I focused on his narrowed slate gray eyes. “A gut feeling. You have an air of cynicism around you, meaning something happened for you to be that way, as no one is born cynical. And it had to be something that linked back to the World Government; otherwise you would not be a pirate.” The Surgeon stopped glaring and sat back down next to me. Without a word, Law grabbed my legs and draped them across his lap, making me yelp in surprise as I slid down to lay on the seat cushions. He smirked, looking smug as his gray eyes danced with amusement. I flipped him off in retaliation, making his smirk turned into a grin as he tightly squeezed my knee. Out of reflex I aimed a kick at his face, which he dodged by tilting his head back. “Jerk!” I shouted, crossing my arms and pouting.

Law chuckled, shaking his head as he began treating my self-inflicted wounds. “Back to our original conversation; one can assume that it is your own mark on the ace of hearts, yes?”

I sighed, nodding in confirmation. “Yeah. As the oldest and the only girl, I was labeled the heart of our siblingship and the de-facto leader. I held us together, making sure Ace kept his anger in check, while keeping Luffy’s stupidity in check… It honestly was a chore, but I wouldn’t change it for the world…” I sat up, supporting my weight with my elbows as I watched Law care for my injuries. “What about you? Does any of your ink stand for anything?” I questioned, gazing at his hands and forearms. “Better yet, do you have more under that hoodie of yours?”

Law chuckled, casting me a smoldering look as he finished taking care of my knees. “Are you that interested in seeing me topless, Rain-ya?” he questioned as his right hand ran up my left calf; stopping to grip the back of my knee instead.

I cocked an eyebrow and grinned up at him. “Would you hold it against me if I say yes?”

My response apparently amused the Surgeon of Death enough for him to remove his hat, setting it on top of his book before grabbing the back of his hoodie and tugged it over her head, along with the simple white singlet he wore underneath. Black inked hearts covered his upper arms and shoulders, the heart motifs continuing onto his back and chest.

†††

Law’s breath hitched as Rain scooted forward, sitting right in his lap as her slender fingers graze over his chest tattoo, a look of awe washed over her as her fingers came to a stop just above his navel. The large heart covering his front came to a point just shy of his bellybutton, so it was understandable that she would stop there, however her touch lingered a little longer than it should. Rain then grazed her fingers over his shoulders, taking in the heart tattoos.

“They’re really beautiful,” she stated, now observing his hands and comparing them. “They’re a bit faded, so you’ve had them for a while, and they must have taken awhile to make for the artist to ink in solid black.” She observed, now walking her fingers up his arms.

Law snatched her wrists, preventing her from touching him even more than she originally was, and held both of Rain’s wrists with one hand. “That’s enough touching, don’t you think, Rain-ya?” Her already large dark chocolate eyes widen even more in realization.

“Whoops… Sorry.”

He released her, and she took the time to remove herself from his lap as he tugged his hoodie back on. Law had noticed how scarred her hands were, and the smooth callouses that showed her heavy usage of her hands. Though her hands were so worn from use, Rain’s hands still looked delicate and oh-so-feminine. Everything about the younger woman oozed subtle femininity that clashed with her fighter’s spirit, Law noted.

Rain stretched her arms up, arching her back until it popped, and groaned in satisfaction. “Again, thank you for letting me stay aboard your submarine.”

“It is nothing. You just merely piqued my interest when you spoke of Galaxy Way.” Law shrugged off her thanks, watching as she got up and plopped herself on his large bed. He chuckled, finding it cute how she childishly fluffed his pillows, easily sliding under the covers, and instantly wrapping her arms around a black pillow; her face pressed against it as she fell asleep on her front. “One minute you act like your age, while the next your act like a young girl… You are an amusing woman, Rain-ya.”

Getting up, Law placed his book away and got ready for bed, wearing only a loose pair of gray sleeping pants as he got in on his side of the bed. Turning off the light, the Surgeon of Death soon fell asleep with his back towards the woman sharing his bed.

†††

Groaning softly, I awoke to something warm tickling my collarbone. “What…?” I tried to sit up, only to find a pair of tattooed arms encircling my hips and waist, while my legs were tangled up with Law’s I noted, using my free hand to rid my eyes of sleepy dust. Shifting only made the pirate tighten his hold, allowing him to nuzzle his face against my chest. I settled down, smiling softly as I began running my fingers through his ever-so-messy dark hair, hearing a sigh of contentment escape his lips. “You’re like an overgrown cat… How cute.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AmericanNidiot: Another chapter for your reading pleasure! And we get a glimpse of some of Rain's tattoos! She's only going to get more, so there's that.
> 
> We also got a bit of Law/Rain here (I almost typed Law/Ace because OTP). Furthermore, in case I did not make it obvious at the beginning of this chapter, the lady Ace is paired with is none other than the tiger-woman and new doctor of the Spades Pirate, Tora! Isn't she cute?
> 
> Okay, first I'd like to fangirl because raepan2010 is following this story! Like OMFG! Senpai noticed me! -does Sanji's noodle dance- If you haven't already, I totally suggest reading her One Piece fanfictions!
> 
> Now that the fangirling is done with (no, it's not, but I honestly need to get this out so it is silently there), I'll get to the main reason I'm editing this chapter. I just noticed while writing chapter 7 that I cannot possibly make up a whole new pirate crew on my own without possibly reusing old OC's and hammering them into fitting into One Piece. I mean, I already have 5 OC's (not including Rain) for the new Spade Pirates, but I need at least 10 more. So here's the thing, if you want your OC featured into the story (NOT AS A LOVE INTEREST), then send them in via review or PM! If I get sent more than 10, I'll use a random number generator and choose that way. So here you go, guys! Its your chance to shine, and have your character come to life!


	7. A D. Will Always Survive!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I... Actually had this chapter ready months ago. I just never updated it unlike my Fanfiction.net one... Whoops? ANYWAYS! I made a tumblr sideblog for this and my other fanfictions, so if anyone wanna follow/talk to me, then they can! :D It is AmericanNidiot-author-sideblog.tumblr.com

Ace grunted as he tried to sit up, his nickel gray eyes taking in the room as he reached up towards his face, pulling the nasal cannula off, the removal making him sneeze loudly. Bleary eyed, the young pirate had not noticed the person frozen in the doorway.

Tora dropped her clipboard, drawing Ace’s attention to her, and rushed over to her patient to examine him thoroughly. “I thought you would be out for longer. This is amazing. Is your recovery rate shortened due to you being a Logia? Or is it perhaps genetic? Oh, maybe it is linked to being from a family of D.’s? After all, Commander Rain always healed quickly… but she’s also a Logia…” the tiger hybrid spat out in rapid fire succession, leaving the 20-year-old no chance to give his input. Her hands were soft— if he ignored the razor sharp claws— as she ran them over his chest and back, her tiger ears twitching with every breath he took.

The woman looking over him wore red-orange leather skinny pants, a white loose short-sleeved crop top— the right sleeve kept falling off her shoulder, exposing part of her chest— that had  _ ‘Tora’ _ written across the chest in dark orange, exposing the dark colored stripes that mimicked the same pattern of a tigers on the exposed skin. On her feet she wore black flats with red, orange and blue flowers cover the toe area as the vines swirled around and acted as the ankle strap. “Wait, did you say  _ Rain _ ?!” he asked, coughing loudly into his hands as his throat rebelled against him.

Tora handed him the glass of water that she always had sitting on the bedside table, helping him hold the glass and he greedily chugged down the contents. “Of course I did. You’re her baby brother, right? Along with Boss Dragon’s son Luffy. As Commander Rain’s best friend, and doctor, it is my duty to look over you until her return,” Tora said simply, putting the glass back down. Reaching over, she fluffed the pillows, allowing Ace to catch a glimpse of a tattoo on her right shoulder blade. It looked very much like the altered version of his former Jolly Roger that he seen on a mass of people back in Marineford. Her ears twitched as she sat back, looking towards the door with a grin. “Odd, you don’t have to hide, silly.”

“It is rude to barge in uninvited, Tora,” crame a soft baritone voice as the person entered.

Ace was not expecting a giant small-clawed otter wearing a cream colored vest and carrying a tray laden with mostly soups, though there was a plate filled with clams and crab legs. “Rain barges in whenever she wants.”

“That’s because of her personality,” he said, placing the tray on Ace’s lap before taking the plate of clams and crab legs for himself and sitting down on the only available seat in the room. “Fresh seafood~! My favorite!” he cheered happily, rubbing his paws together before looking up at Ace. “Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself.” Odd bowed his head in apology.

Ace scratched the back of his neck, a bit confused over the giant talking otter wearing clothes. “Umm… it’s no big deal.” Ace winced at how hoarse his voice sounded.

“I suggest drinking some honey-lemon tea. It should help with that nasty croak. Moreover, no one makes tea as great as Odd, our resident Mink and navigator!”

“Mink?” Ace rasped, taking a drink of the tea that the woman gestured to.

“Yes. It is what my kind are called. We are originally from an island called Zou in the New World, and happen to all look like fur-covered mammals, though the women from my home do look more human than us men,” Odd hummed, easily opening a clam and eating the meat inside.

“Don’t let Odd’s cuddly appearance fool you; he is a warrior from birth that can still sneak up on Rain when she’s practicing her Observation Haki,” Tora chimed in.

“We’re masters of hiding our presence from Haki users.”

“How did you meet my sister?” questioned Ace as he started sipping at some tomato soup, getting himself comfortable as he tried getting to know his sister’s friends.

Tora smiled grimly in remembrance of how she met her friend. “I treasure that memory, but also despise it with my whole being.” She began softly as she looked down at her hands. “Most people think I ate a Zoan fruit.” She chuckled mirthlessly as the freckled male paused, his gray eyes widen in shock. “I originally was just some homeless girl from the West Blue, yet the Marines thought it would be great to experiment on me instead, to try and mimic the effects of a Zoan Devil Fruit without losing the ability to swim. I was the only test subject that succeeded, while all the others died, and so they kept me in a cage like the animal I resembled. To them, I was not even human anymore, that is if they ever seen me as one. However, that all changed about 4 years ago, when Rain came and destroyed that godforsaken place. It seemed to click in that moment that I had been given my freedom back, and it was thanks to Rain. Shortly after I joined the Revolutionaries just so I could be with her, and worked so hard to be the doctor of the crew, as a way to repay her for everything she has done for me.”

Ace smiled fondly as he stared down at his soup. “That sure sounds like Sis alright…”

“What about you, Odd? When did you meet Rain?”

The otter Mink broke a crab leg, exposing the meat before talking. “I met her when she was a child still. I think it was right before Luffy had been born. Anyways, I had been hiding on an island, having overheard slave traffickers were around.”

“How much does a Mink go for?” questioned Ace.

“About 700,000 Berries to the right buyer.” Shrugged Odd. “As I was saying, I had been hiding, though my clothes had made me stand out in the forest, which is where Rain found me. Back then I was about as small as she was, so it was no surprise that her clothes had fit me. At first she laughed at me, telling me how poorly I tried to hide, and saying I would fail at hide-and-seek. After she was done, she gave me her green and brown splotched vest to wear. For a Mink, the exchanging of clothes symbolizes affection in our tribe, so it meant a lot to me that she did that. Shortly after, she came back and asked me tons of questions after formally introducing herself. It was then that I called her a Lesser Mink for the first time,” he chuckled fondly, remembering Rain’s look of confusion at the term. “Soon after, Rain introduced me to Dragon, and I became one of the first to join the Revolutionaries, though I made it clear to Dragon that my loyalties were to Rain and whomever she was loyal to.”

“Awe, what a cute story!” chirped Tora. “But wait… Is her finding out you’re a Mink the reason she willingly goes into the sea?”

“She does that with you, too, Tora. Rain has never been able to swim because of her Devil Fruit, so that’s why she trusts us to hold her when she wants to cool off.” Odd pointed out, chewing on a crab leg.

“Ah! Speaking of that! Odd, would you help give the Captain a bath?”

Said male choked on his soup, his eyes tearing up from the pain of it going down the wrong pipe. “W-Whoa! I can bathe myself just fine! I don’t need any help! Ah… no offense to you, of course,” he added at the end as a second thought.

Odd waved the comment off. “None taken. But I wouldn’t argue with Tora on this. You  _ have _ been in a coma for nearly a month now, so it would be best to go slow. Though normally, seeing as Tora  _ is _ the crew’s doctor, she’d be the one to bathe you.”

At the mention of this, both Ace and Tora’s faces turned red as a cherry. The freckled male could not deny that the female hybrid was attractive, with her flaming copper red hair— the tiger stripes also continued through her hair— that framed her heart shaped face, and those piercing mint green almond shaped eyes that froze him the moment they made eye-contact.

Odd laughed silently to himself, finding their reactions to be amusing as he finished off his food. “Good thing Rain made sure you wore a Seastone bracelet, otherwise you would have set the room on fire, Captain,” teased Odd, snickering as the man became so overwhelmed that he passed out.

Tora punched him in the shoulder, her face still flushed from embarrassment. “Shut it, Odd!”

†††

I munched on my gummies as I sat in the navigation room, enjoying the view as Bepo went over the charts, the Eternal Pose I had given him was held in place on the dash, while Jean Bart piloted the ship. Currently Law was avoiding me after he woke up and found himself cuddling me a few days ago, having locked himself in his secret room; so says Shachi and Penguin, anyways. The only time I have contact with him is after I fall asleep in his room (like hell was I bunking in a room full of perverts), seeing as Bepo’s room was cluttered with maps and books taking up 25% of the space, while his specially made bed and desk took up the rest. Too bad for Law as Bepo’s bed could only fit himself and the few plush pillows and a blanket— though I swear I seen a small polar bear plush when Bepo showed me around— so I was stuck with the grumpy captain.

“You’d think with a Mink for a friend, Law wouldn’t mind cuddling so much,” I mused, smiling widely as the bear looked up from the charts. “I know Odd’s a cuddle monster, though not on Luffy’s level, so why is Law so bothered with cuddling?”

“Captain uses me as a pillow and back rest when we’re on deck, so there’s no point for us to embrace. He also is the one that helps wash and groom my fur,” explained Bepo, smiling happily as he talked about his captain.

I rested my chin on the upturned palm of my hand, smiling at the cheerful bear. “That’s sweet of Law,” I mused, watching the bear blush. “So, how much longer until we make it to Galaxy Way Archipelago?” I questioned while standing up and dusting off my butt.

“It should not be long now, but you could check the periscope just to be sure.” Bepo pointed at the object while still looking at the chart.

Hopping a bit, I gripped the handles and peered through it while moving about, taking note of the crazy current. “Yeah, we’re getting close, probably 137 kilometers north-northeast.” I voiced, swerving again to look around. Squinting, I messed with the dials, trying to make whatever it was in the distance come into focus. What I seen made my stomach  _ drop _ as I released the periscope. “Bepo, best get your captain. We got a Marine battleship closing in on us.”

“What?!” yelped Bepo, pulling the periscope down to see for himself. “Oh no!” releasing it, the bear Mink rushed over to one of the voice pipes. “Captain! There’s a coated battleship gaining on us!”

I rushed over to Jean Bart, looking over his shoulder at the control panel. “Think you could get us passed the storm that surrounds the Archipelago in the next ten minutes?” I questioned, shifting my gaze up to watch through the large reinforced glass window. “Drop 19 meters. You want to stay 25 meters above the seafloor from this point on, otherwise get caught in the current and become Brutus’ snack.” I pointed out, just as the door opened up.

“Jean Bart-ya, Bepo, what is going on?” demanded Law, taking his seat on the  _ ‘Captain’s chair’ _ .

“There’s a coated battleship directly on our tail, Law,” I piped up, before muttering a few calculations to Jean Bart. “Head north 11 meters then head west for 58 meters; there should be a stone arch that will signal clearing the storm and Brutus.” I explained, stepping back and heading towards the door.

“Where are you going, Rain-ya?” questioned Law, his slate gray gaze following me as I came to a stop.

“To get ready to greet our guests.” I stated, looking over my shoulder and grinning widely. “Jean Bart, if you would be so kind to surface once we are in the clear so I can get off. I’ll deal with the Marines while you go on to Sun Island.”

Jean Bart hesitated as he looked at Law, waiting for confirmation orders. “We will surface, however we will also stay to watch you  _ greet _ our guests, Rain-ya.”

I nodded in agreement, leaving the bridge to grab my staff.  _ Purupurupuru… Purupurupuru… Purupurupuru… _ I pulled my Den Den Mushi out from my trusty bag and picked up the receiver.  _ Gotcha _ . “Hello?”

_ “Commander Rain!” _

“Dalton! What can I do for you?” I questioned while walking into Law’s room and grabbing my stuff and packing it away, my staff in hand as I made my way to the top deck entrance as the sub began surfacing.

_ “I’m here to inform you that it is not just the one battleship! There are 5 in total, and all of them are being led by Commodore Sanada!” _

“Understood. Once the ship you’re on surfaces, jump ship and start swimming towards Sun Island, unless you can get ahold of Niko and have him pick you up.”

_ “Copy that!” _

I placed the snail back into my bag as I took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled as I opened the doors; the mist spraying me in the face as I watched the five battleships rise and surround us. “Well, well, well! If it isn’t cute little Sanada!” I shouted, spying the surly looking Commodore. The man in question scowled, his orange gaze burning as he glared at me.

“Hard to believe we would find you so soon,  _ Hurricane Rain _ !” he shouted loudly.

“That’s  **Rear Admiral Ame** to you, San-swan~” I shouted back in a sickeningly sweet voice.

His dark face turned purple at the reminder. “How  _ dare _ you impersonate an outstanding Marine!”

“Rear Admiral?” questioned Law from behind me.

I merely spun on my heel and slowly walked across the deck, easily passing by Law as I lowered my head. “Never pictured someone with Vice Admiral Garp’s blood to run away like a coward!”

“Who said anything about running away?” I chuckled, making it the other other side of the Polar Tang’s largest deck, before turning around. “Unlike Gramps, I don’t like wrecking other people’s toys!” I shouted at Sanada as I began running back across before shooting myself off the railing and began air hopping over to the largest battleship.

“Shoot her out of the sky!” the Commodore screamed at his subordinates.

†††

Dalton coughed, clearing his throat of seawater as he climbed up the side of the yellow fish shaped submarine, blood seeping from the wound on his right flank and staining his sky blue hoodie red with blood as he got on the deck with his heavy metal case. His side burned, forcing the 19 year old to wince and grit his teeth as he popped open the case, showcasing the dismantled sniper rifle  **[1]** and his specially made .50 caliber ammunition.

The Hearts seemed to be more focused on the lone woman, allowing Dalton to put together his creation in peace and load it. Once satisfied, the teen grabbed his case and made his way through the gathered pirates. “Excuse me, coming through, guy with a loaded gun here…” The pirates all parted, looking at him questioningly as he set up, pushing his blond bang from his left eye, exposing the scope that covered his blue eye, laying on his stomach as he adjusted the rifle. With a subtle shift, Dalton exhaled slowly and gently squeezed the trigger; the resulting shot shook the submarine as the casing hit the deck, causing a good portion of the Heart Pirates to stumble around while Law gripped the railing.

The round hit one of the battleships, making it erupt into flames as it exploded on impact, making Dalton smirk in satisfaction.

A dissatisfied snail slinked out of the heavy metal case, its eyes glaring at the grinning blond youth.  _ “Dammit, Dalton! What the Hell is going on?” _ swore Niko from the other end.

“Keep your tail feathers on, Niko my man, and sit back and enjoy my art show, hmm…” Donny grunted, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance as he reloaded the gun and took aim once more.

_ “Brat! I’m gonna kick your ass!” _

“Get in line!” the teen retorted hotly as he rolled over, his legs spread far apart as he settled the heavy— 120 lb worth of deadly machinery at work— weapon between them and took aim; easily firing multiple rounds one after the other to destroy the cannons on the ship behind him before sending out an explosive round. Spent casings littered the deck of the Polar Tang, some rolling off and falling into the sea, while others still smoked from recent use, and a few even slid across the forming pool of blood.

†††

I grunted, my back slamming hard against the ship railing as Sanada sneered down at me, his Seastone laced gloves dyed red from my blood. “After I deliver your head to the World Government, I’ll go look for your bastard brother and take his head! Maybe I’ll even send Vice Admiral Garp both of your hearts to show what happens to those born of toxic blood!”

Something in me just  **snapped** when he mentioned Luffy and Gramps; Sanada speaking the same words I would hear from those unknowingly talking about Ace, which caused my blood to  _ boil _ in anger.  **“I’ll kill you before you even lay a hand on Luffy!”** A wave of Haki erupted and knocked out all of the lower ranked Marines. Covering my arms in Armament Haki, I rushed forth, using my left forearm to block a punch from the Seastone gloves and quickly jabbed Sanada right in the nose. The moment he staggered back did I quickly lift him up and powerbomb him, causing the boards of the deck to buckle under the force.

“Not so fast!” someone shouted from behind, taking the chance to wrap a chain around my neck; choking me while also pulling me off of Sanada. I tried thrashing, yet my head began to spin, a feeling of nausea hitting me hard as it felt like my body started to crash from low blood sugar.

“S-Seastone!” I realized too late as the Marine smashed my face into the deck, while two others spread my arms out as they forced me to my knees.

“Not so high and mighty now, are you, vermin?” sneered Sanada as he got up, and kicked me hard in the face. I spat the forming wad of mucus and blood at his face in retaliation. The sullen asshole scowled, wiping the mixture from his face as he was handed a sword. “Prepare to die for your sins, wretch!” he shouted, raising the blade as he prepared to swing it down on my neck.

I merely chuckled, a grin splitting my face in two as I struggled to breath with the chain still wrapped around my neck. “We D.’s always manage to find a way to survive, San-swan! Best not forget that!” I rasped as the Marine above me tightened the chains around my neck in hopes of cutting off my air supply. Just as he started to bring the blade down onto my neck, a swirl of blue obscured my vision as the pressure was finally eased off my neck; the Seastone chains going slack and unraveling to the point they slipped off me. Taking the chance, I swept the other Marine’s feet from under him as the other two got taken down by the swirl of blue.

“You and Ace sure like getting yourselves nearly killed– yoi!”

“Oh stuff it, you overgrown peacock!” I grunted, jamming my elbow into the gut of a charging Marine, and then sent him flying with a tornado uppercut into the stormy water for Brutus.

†††

Dalton huffed, feeling woozy from blood loss, and felt the Dark Doctor’s gaze burn into him as he re-positioned himself and focused on the two remaining battleships. “Stop staring at me like that, it’s going to make me blush, hmm…” he sarcastically informed the glowering older male.

Law narrowed his eyes in distaste at the bleeding youth that somehow snuck aboard his submarine, and with such a large weapon on top of it all.

_ “Stop ignoring me, brat! What is going on over there by Mars Island?!” _

The blond teen grunted in annoyance, glaring at the angry looking snail. “Obviously it’s Commander Rain fighting alongside— what appears to be— none other than Marco the Phoenix. Hmm… Seems like stupid Sanada pissed her off, if her kneeing him in the groin is anything to go by.” Dalton winced, feeling the pain deep within his own loins. “Also, I’m slowly bleeding out while being glared at by the likes of the Surgeon of Death, hmm. So how is everything going on your end, hmm?”

_ “Do you honestly think this is the time for casual conversation, brat?” _ Niko grumbled.  _ “If you must know, Tora and Odd are seeing to the Boss. He finally woke up three days ago, and is quickly recovering, which has Tora’s tail all in a knot from amazement at his recovery progress.” _

“So, they’re also probably working as a distraction to keep him from joining in any fights, hn?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just noticed, while writing this chapter, that I cannot possibly make up a whole new pirate crew on my own without possibly reusing old OC's and hammering them into fitting into One Piece. I mean, I already have 6 OC's (not including Rain) for the new Spade Pirates, but I need at least 10 more. So here's the thing, if you want your OC featured into the story (NOT AS A LOVE INTEREST), then send them in via review or PM! If I get sent more than 10, I'll use a random number generator and choose that way. So here you go, guys! Its your chance to shine, and have your character come to life!
> 
> [1] - Dalton's weapon of choice is basically Harkonnen from Hellsing, which is used by none other than Seras Victoria. Also, if you haven't noticed, Dalton is based on Deidara from Naruto. Mainly in looks and the way they talk, however Dalton has a bit more of a bratty personality and enjoys ruffling Niko's feathers because he's so damn serious/strict.


End file.
